logo
Emma Raducanu ‘excited' to be working with Rafael Nadal's ex-coach Francis Roig

Emma Raducanu ‘excited' to be working with Rafael Nadal's ex-coach Francis Roig

The 22-year-old has worked with British coach Mark Petchey on an informal basis since March and has now added Roig to her team.
Spanish coach Roig worked alongside Nadal and with Nadal's uncle Toni for the majority of his career, where he won 22 grand slams.
Speaking about teaming up with Roig, Raducanu told Sky Sports: 'It's going really well, it's my second day here with him here, but I did a few days in London before I came out here.
'He's obviously got a bank of experience and I'm very excited to continue working with him and to have him on my side.'
Roig joins Raducanu's coaching set-up as she continues preparations for the US Open, the tournament she won in 2021.
Recently, the Briton followed a round-three exit to Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon with a semi-final showing at the Citi Open, where she was eventually beaten by Anna Kalinskaya.
Up next for Raducanu is the Cincinnati Open, where she received a bye in the first round and will face either fellow Briton Katie Boulter or Olga Danilovic.
The US Open begins later in August and Raducanu revealed that she is working with Roig on certain areas to improve.
She added: 'I'm working on the quality of my shots to be better. I think against the very top that's what it needs, it needs to improve.
'So I'm hoping that with time – I'm pretty patient, I'm going to try and be pretty patient – that it'll improve.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Sky Sports pundit 'gutted' over son quitting Premier League academy despite 'flying' there
Sky Sports pundit 'gutted' over son quitting Premier League academy despite 'flying' there

Daily Mirror

time30 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Sky Sports pundit 'gutted' over son quitting Premier League academy despite 'flying' there

A leading Sky Sports pundit admitted how he was upset to learn his son wanted to quit playing football, despite appearing to be excelling within a Premier League club's academy Clinton Morrison has explained a "gutting" feeling he felt after learning his son no longer wanted to pursue becoming a footballer. The Sky Sports pundit and former Premier League striker enjoyed an illustrious playing career of his own with the likes of Crystal Palace and Birmingham before moving into broadcasting. ‌ While he felt as though his son, Shay, would follow in his footsteps, given he was excelling with Nottingham Forest in his teenage years, it evidently wasn't meant to be. ‌ The 46-year-old, who was capped by the Republic of Ireland 36 times, told Mirror Football via Freebets earlier this year: "He was in the academy. It's gutting, to be fair. He was flying at Nottingham Forest. Then one day he came home at 14 or 15 and said, 'Dad, I don't enjoy football.' ‌ "You can't be a pushy parent and say, 'I want you to be a footballer.' It's not in him to be a footballer, he doesn't enjoy it. He probably went because he was young and he probably thought that's what I wanted him to do. But when you get to that age, it's kind of difficult." Fast forward to the modern day, and Shay has since gone on to study at university. But Morrison still has high hopes his other son, Kian, may make it to the professional level of football. He explained: "My youngest, Kian, is good though, he's got a great chance of being a professional. "He's not at a club at the moment because he wants to go and enjoy himself and play with his friends. But he's got a good chance. But yeah, my oldest, Shay, he decided it wasn't for him. "He is now at uni and he is doing well. You have got to be a father, you can't be pushy. Shay played as a striker, Kian plays as a centre-half. "I'd say my youngest is in the mould of John Stones. If he can have half the career that John Stones had, I'll take that. He doesn't like to kick it, he just likes to play out from the back and defend. So we've got a chance here." ‌ After enjoying stints with the likes of Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday and Exeter, Morrison hung up his boots in 2017 before dipping his toes into the world of coaching with Mickleover Sports. However, since September 2020, he has worked as a pundit for Sky Sports on their revamped Soccer Saturday show, while also providing matchday commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live.

Is there cause for optimism about what follows golden generation?
Is there cause for optimism about what follows golden generation?

The Herald Scotland

time3 hours ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Is there cause for optimism about what follows golden generation?

World champions, Olympic medallists, European and Commonwealth champions as well as Scottish, British and European record holders make up this collective of athletes who have changed the face of athletics within Scotland. For a decade, there's been not merely the hope that one or two would make the GB team but rather there's been the expectation that Scottish athletes will be at the major championships, and they will win medals. This expectation has been entirely justified; Josh Kerr, Laura Muir and Jake Wightman have led the charge of a group of athletes who have put Scotland on the map in international athletics' terms. Muir has had the greatest longevity; having been on the global stage for over a decade, she's amassed 14 major championship medals including, most notably, Olympic silver and world bronze in 2021 and 2022 respectively. On the men's side, Kerr and Wightman have, between them, produced some of the outstanding performances from Scottish sportspeople this decade. Both are world 1500m champions in what is perhaps the strongest-ever era for the event. Kerr also has Olympic silver and bronze in his locker while Wightman has four European and Commonwealth medals to his name. This trio, in particular, is astonishing not only in terms of the standard of their best-ever performances but also in their consistency over such a prolonged period. What's also been remarkable for what's dubbed a 'minority sport' within Scotland is that it's not only this trio who have achieved notable global results over the past decade. Neil Gourley, Eilish McColgan and Jemma Reekie have also won major championship medals and set Scottish, British and European records between them and in para-athletics, Sammi Kinghorn heads a pack that includes numerous Paralympic and para world champions. When watching the UK Athletics Championships last week, though, it was difficult to not let my thoughts wander to how this golden generation could possibly be followed. There's still time, with this current crop by no means finished just yet. Muir and Wightman may be in their 30s but with the former having set her 1500m personal best just last year and Wightman desperate to make up for missing several seasons following his world championship win, both possess the potential to have at least another couple of good seasons. And Kerr, at 27 years old, still has potentially two Olympic cycles in him. All three retain ambitions to add further to their medal tallies before they hang up their spikes for good. It can't be ignored, however, that this cohort will, at some point, retire and so, what then? How can this golden generation be followed? Firstly, it's probably wise to point out that it'd be overly-optimistic to think we'll see another generation with similar strength-in-depth to this group any time soon. To have half a dozen truly world class athletes all competing on the world stage simultaneously from a country this size, and which doesn't consider athletics to be one of its mainstream sports, is a delightful rarity rather than the norm. But what would be hugely disappointing would be if this generation becomes a one-off high, with the next wave of Scottish athletes not able to get close to their achievements. So, what optimism should we have about how Scottish athletics will look after this current generation depart the scene? Last weekend's UK Athletics Championships are as good a barometer as any about what lies ahead for Scottish track and field. The most notable result last weekend, and one of the biggest upsets in years at the national championships, was the victory of Sarah Calvert in the women's 1500m final. The 24-year-old's win, which was hailed the 'run of her life' and saw her defeat none other than Muir, has catapulted her into the spotlight in a way few expected pre-championships. Laura Muir has achieved remarkable success over the the past decade (Image: Reuters via Beat Media Group subscription) Calvert's personal best time for the 1500m is still well short of what could be considered world class - her best, set this season, is 4 minutes 8.14 seconds while Muir's best, set in 2024, is 15 seconds faster - but given Calvert has never been a full-time athlete, her scope for improvement remains sizeable. It should also be noted that with Erin Wallace fourth in that British 1500m final, Scottish athletes occupied three of the top four spots. Gourley won yet another British 1500m title last weekend, with the late withdrawal due to illness of Wightman the latest setback in the Edinburgh man's career. There was, encouragingly, a wider-than-expected spread of Scottish medallists at the national championships. In addition to Calvert, there were several lesser-known athletes who excelled; Alessandro Schenini won gold in the long jump, Nick Percy and Kirsty Law both won silver in the discus (although neither could be classed as up-and-coming athletes) and Silver Nwabuzor and Bera Ajala both won bronze in the triple jump. And in the para events, Kyle Brotherton, Steven Bryce and Rebecca Scott all medalled. Added to this, there's Megan Keith, who withdrew from the 5000m at the UK Championships but has already claimed the British 10,000m title this season. Josh Kerr is the reigning 1500m champion (Image: Getty) It would, of course, be foolish to base too may predictions on one weekend of action but these two days last week certainly gave reason to be hopeful, particularly given this weekend's success took Scottish athletes' tally to 57 medals at the UK Championships in the past five years, indicating it's far more than just the headline names who are achieving success. Added to the senior results, at the recent European Under-23 Championships, 400m runners Brodie Young and Rebecca Grieve both got onto the podium while in this weekend's European Under-20 Championships, five Scots are in the GB team. Plus, with European under-20 half-marathon record holder, Natasha Phillips, on the road, there's certainly reason to be cautiously optimistic. Those tasked with following in the footsteps of this current golden generation will, I would guess, struggle to scale quite the same heights. For example, to expect like-for-like replacements for the true world-class talents of Kerr, Wightman and Gourley in men's middle-distance running is wildly and unrealistically hopeful. And so while the next decade of Scottish athletics may not be quite able to replicate the astonishing success we've seen over the past decade, that says far more about what Scottish athletes have achieved in this sport in recent years than any slight on what's coming through. Scottish athletics is, I think, going to be alright when Kerr, Muir, Wightman et al exit the stage.

Liverpool predicted XI for Community Shield vs Crystal Palace as Arne Slot starts new stars
Liverpool predicted XI for Community Shield vs Crystal Palace as Arne Slot starts new stars

Daily Mirror

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Liverpool predicted XI for Community Shield vs Crystal Palace as Arne Slot starts new stars

Liverpool and Crystal Palace will meet at Wembley on Sunday for the Community Shield and a number of new big-money signings could feature for the Premier League champions Liverpool have strengthened significantly since lifting the Premier League trophy back in May and some of Arne Slot 's new recruits could make their first competitive appearances at Wembley on Sunday. ‌ The Reds will meet last season's FA Cup winners, Crystal Palace, at the home of football in the season's curtain raiser. And after spending just shy of £300million so far in the transfer window - with more signings expected before the deadline - Liverpool have plenty of options for the big match. ‌ Florian Wirtz is the summer's biggest capture, joining in a British record transfer worth £116m including add-ons, and is likely to start. ‌ Hugo Ekitike is likely to lead the line with Darwin Nunez poised to complete a move to the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal, while Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez could also feature. Ahead of the game, Mirror Football predicts how Liverpool could line up ahead of a chance to clinch more silverware... Giorgi Mamardashvili signed for Liverpool last summer before spending one final season with Valencia. The Georgia international is now through the door but Alisson remains the Reds' undisputed No 1 and should start here. Ahead of the Brazilian, there is scope for new faces from the off. Jeremie Frimpong is expected to compete with Conor Bradley for the right-back spot following Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid. On the opposite flank, Milos Kerkez should get the nod at left-back with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate completing the back four. Ryan Gravenberch is suspended for Liverpool's Premier League opener with Alexis Mac Allister only just coming back from injury. That could lead to Slot playing Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield ahead of the new league campaign. ‌ Further forward, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo are likely to start in the wide attacking positions. Florian Wirtz is a lock for the No 10 spot and all eyes will be on the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man, who will no doubt be just as keen to make a strong early impression. Hugo Ekitike should lead the line with Darwin Nunez expected to depart Anfield in the coming days. His position could alter, though, as the season goes on if Liverpool are successful in their pursuit of Alexander Isak. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store