Emma Raducanu’s former coach Dmitry Tursunov has been spotted working with world No 15 Belinda Bencic, confirming he was the one to walk away from her… as the Russian becomes the FOURTH coach to split with the Brit in the past 15 months
- Dmitry Tursunov’s exit as Emma Raducanu’s coach was confirmed on Tuesday
- Tursunov has been spotted working with Swiss tennis star Belinda Benci
- He is the fourth coach to leave Raducanu’s team in the past fifteen months
Emma Raducanu’s recently departed coach has already been spotted working with a new player in Mexico, confirming that he was the one to walk away from her.
Dmitry Tursunov has been pictured on court in Guadalajara – where the final significant regular tour event of the WTA season will take place next week – alongside Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic.
This suggests he must have already lined up work with her before the split with Raducanu became public on Tuesday, following her withdrawal from this week’s Transylvania Open.
Dmitry Tursunov’s departure as Emma Raducanu’s coach was confirmed on Tuesday
The Russian has been spotted working with world No 15 Belinda Bencic from Switzerland
At world number 15, Olympic champion Bencic is ranked 53 places higher than the British number one, although she is one of the players beaten by the Kent teenager en route to the US Open title last year.
Social media users also reported that Tursunov has liked then unliked a handful of Twitter posts making references to the involvement of her parents, Ian and Renee, in her coaching. Yesterday the only evidence of that was him still liking a tweet from June saying that it ‘appears the parents are mismanaging’ when it comes to her career.
Tursunov is the fourth coach to have left her employment in the past fifteen months, although the first to have done so voluntarily. She has also had a series of stand-ins such as Iain Bates and Louis Cayer from the Lawn Tennis Association.
Tursunov (C) is the fourth coach to have left Raducanu’s employment in the past 15 months
Raducanu is now doing her pre-season training block with the assistance of respected trainer Jez Green, although they have yet to firm up a long-term arrangement
The California-based Russian had appeared to be having some positive effect on her tennis before he left, although logistically there were some potential visa issues for him on the horizon.
There was at least some positive news for Raducanu this week in that she is doing her pre-season training block with the assistance of respected trainer Jez Green, although they have yet to firm up a long-term arrangement.
After a year of frantic comings and goings in her team the choice of a hoped-for stable coaching influence looks like the most important decision of her career to date.
Raducanu is due to take a holiday in Asia before resuming training, and intends to play in the Billie Jean King Cup finals event in Glasgow next month.
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