Huge question marks were raised over Emma Raducanu’s ability to compete with the best players in the game after she was hammered by Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open and now she has been rocked by another big setback.

Raducanu was beaten 6-1, 6-0 by Swiatek in an embarrassingly one-sided third round match in Melbourne, with the 2021 US Open champion looking out of her depth against one of the true giants of the game.

Now it has been confirmed she has parted company with her coach Nick Cavaday, in a story that has been familiar for Raducanu over the last three years.

Raducanu has worked with a host of different coaches since her maiden Grand Slam win, but had claimed Cavaday was the adviser she was most comfortable with.

The duo worked together when Raducanu was a child and renewed their partnership last season, as Raducanu returned to the top 100 of the WTA Rankings after she missed much of 2023 due to injury.

She had suggested she was hoping the partnership with Cavaday would be enduring, but it has now been confirmed that he has decided to leave her camp for his own reasons.

“I am very happy to have been able to work with Emma over the last 14 months,” said Cavaday.

“At this moment in time, it’s important for me to spend some more time at home and prioritise getting back to full health, which is hard to do with the extensive calendar.

“I am glad Emma is back to being established on tour now with a ranking inside the top 60, and I look forward to seeing what she does from here.”

Raducanu also gave some thoughts on the Cavaday’s exit as she offered positive words as they went their separate ways.

“I’d like to thank Nick for a great partnership over the last year and a bit,” said Raducanu.

“Especially being post-surgeries, he helped get me back inside the world’s top 60. I wish him all the best in his next chapter and no doubt we’ll stay in touch.”

The ‘what comes next’ question was inevitably asked of Raducanu after her defeat and she offered up this optimistic response, suggesting her back injury in Auckland contributed to her poor showing against Swiatek.

“I have to take a positive that I was able to beat two top opponents in the first two rounds,” she said.

“I think the thing I want to improve is serving. The first two matches I got away with it against two top players because I was able to defend and move, use the rest of my game.

“If I’m not necessarily able to hold my service games or dictate, I feel like it seeps into the rest of my game.”

Raducanu must have been shocked by the gulf in class that was in evidence as she was hammered by Swiatek, with former world No 7 Barbara Schett suggesting injuries remain the biggest obstacle to the 22-year-old realising all of her potential.

“I don’t know how many continuous weeks she has played over the last three years,” began Schett, in an exclusive interview with Tennis365.

“There always seem to be disruptions with health issues and injuries. It’s been sad. I just wish she could play for a whole year and then we could see what she can do.

“Let’s see her play 25 tournaments in a year and see where she can be. The problem when you have these constant setbacks is you never get a chance to build up momentum and you always doubt yourself.

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“You worry about getting injured and you don’t want to have those thoughts in your head when you are on court.

“It’s hard to believe it’s more than three years since that amazing US Open run and it would be great for tennis if she can come back and compete at the top again.

“Let’s see how she goes. I wish her all the best to break into the top 10 or the top 20 this year, but we just don’t know whether the motivation is there for her.

“There’s no doubt the talent is there, but we don’t know what’s going on in her head.

“I follow her on social media and she always looks happy. I hope that is the case and if she can play every week, anything is possible.

“I think she is a player who needs matches to build up her form. It’s not easy to have a few months out and then come to get back quickly.”

Now Raducanu is facing fresh uncertainly as she looks to find another coach, with her next appointment likely to be one of the most significant as she clearly has a lot of work to do physically and on her game to be competitive at the highest level of the game.

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