Raducanu’s one-word text reunites her with Richardson

Raducanu’s one-word – Emma Raducanu says a single-word text—“Heyyy”—helped bring her back together with former coach Andrew Richardson, and the partnership is now set for the rest of the year as she turns her attention to the French Open and a tricky first-round clash.

When Emma Raducanu picked up her phone, she didn’t reach for a long explanation or an elaborate pitch. She sent one word to Andrew Richardson.

“Heyyy,” it read.

Raducanu said she hardly told anyone else about what was coming, and the moment she described it, it sounded like the kind of private message that only needs one clue. “When you get a text from me with, like, a hey with three Ys, you just know something is cooking,” she said.

It’s that same duo—who combined for Raducanu’s sensational US Open triumph—that will be reunited at the French Open for the first time at a Grand Slam since that breakthrough five years ago. On Friday, Richardson stood by her on Court 9 as she practised with Anastasia Potapova.

The reset didn’t start on French clay. Raducanu flew to the Algarve at the end of last month to train with Richardson at his Ferrer Tennis Academy in Spain. Even then. she initially insisted there were “no plans to form a long-term partnership”. before confirming they will now work together for the rest of the year.

The timing of her decision to part ways with Richardson—just two weeks after the Arthur Ashe night that changed everything—has been criticised for years. Since that split. Raducanu has burned through eight different permanent coaches. yet she has not managed to get past the fourth round of a Grand Slam and has not reached that stage since she parted with Francisco Roig after defeat at the Australian Open.

What she wanted now, she said, was control of the call and the ability to make it in a way that felt genuine rather than reactive to noise.

“Back then. of course. I’m aware of the judgment that could potentially follow: did she make a mistake. did she regret it. and all these questions that are being asked. ” Raducanu said. “I think that I really wanted to just make the decisions for myself and most authentically. and it really just came from a deeper place so I’m really happy that I followed through with it and didn’t necessarily get swayed by any opinions or judgments.”.

She described keeping it quiet while the partnership was being rebuilt. “That is also why I actually kept it very quiet. When it was happening, I didn’t really tell anyone what I was cooking up until it was done. That was one of the reasons why,” she said. “But I’m really glad I made the decision for myself.”.

Raducanu also tried to map the emotional logic of that earlier split—how quickly her life changed and how little control she felt over events at the time. “I think at that time it was very difficult to say I made a mistake. because in my life everything changed upside down. and I didn’t really think I had the most handle over the situation. I was being pulled left and right. I didn’t really know what was going on.”.

The lesson she drew since then is simple: trust. “A lot of experiences over the last few years taught me a lot of what I didn’t want. and it taught me that I really just value having people that I trust and connect with around me. ” she said. “He’s someone I’ve known for over a decade. We have a great chemistry. That was evident every time we worked together.”.

Now comes the first test at Roland-Garros, and it’s not a gentle opening. Raducanu has played just a single competitive match since March—a first-round defeat in Strasbourg. her first match after rehiring Richardson. She did that after suffering from a post-viral illness. and she will need to put it behind her quickly if she is to get the better of clay-court specialist Solana Sierra in the first round.

“I feel a lot better,” Raducanu said. “I thought I’d completely flipped it but I think there’s just been a little bit of a lingering cough recently but I feel health-wise really good. I think it ebbs and flows with it, but much better in terms of physically.”

With matches coming thick and fast, she knows the challenge won’t wait for her to settle. “It’s going to be a really tricky first round, especially coming in light on matches, but I’m just proud of how I’m approaching every day, proud of the work I’m putting in.”

Raducanu is one of six Brits in the main draw at Roland-Garros. And on the other side of the bracket, Toby Samuel—one of the qualifiers—has already learned he will face Australian world number nine Alex de Minaur in the first round. De Minaur is the fiancé of Katie Boulter.

The reunion with Richardson may have started with a single-word text, but the real pressure is immediate. At a Grand Slam, there’s no time to savour a story. There’s only the next match—and for Raducanu, that begins against Solana Sierra.

Emma Raducanu Andrew Richardson French Open Roland-Garros tennis coaching US Open Solana Sierra Anastasia Potapova Toby Samuel Alex de Minaur Katie Boulter