Emma Raducanu appears to have split with Vladimir ‘Vlado’ Platenik after working together for just one match. The British No. 2 announced that the Slovakian coach would join her camp on a trial basis in Indian Wells just 14 days ago. He was in her corner during the first-round defeat to Moyuka Uchijima but was not seen in her box for the win at the Miami Open on Wednesday.
It comes after Platenik gave an awkward interview to Slovakian media, claiming he rejected two offers from Raducanu earlier in her career because it would have been “coaching suicide”. Raducanu has yet to hire a full-time mentor since splitting with Nick Cavaday in January.
Ahead of her opening match in Indian Wells two weeks ago, Raducanu announced that she would begin working with Platenik on a trial basis. The 49-year-old has previously coached Daria Kasatkina, Dominika Cibulkova and Veronika Kudermetova. He was also part of Lulu Sun’s team when the Kiwi player beat Raducanu at Wimbledon last year.
But their partnership got off to a disappointing start when Raducanu lost to Uchijima in the first round while Platenik watched on from her box. Afterwards, the British No. 2 said it was too early to comment on their partnership.
“We haven’t necessarily done that much yet, because he arrived very, very recently. So it was the day before the match where we don’t necessarily want to, like, change anything,” she said.
“So we haven’t actually started, I’d say, like, proper work. Yeah, from how I have met him, he’s very serious, he’s very professional, gets on with it. So yeah, we’ll see how it goes.”
But their trial already appears to have ended just two weeks later. During Raducanu’s first-round match in Miami on Wednesday, Platenik was nowhere to be seen.
LTA coach Colin Beecher was in the Brit’s box alongside Jane O’Donoghue, one of Raducanu’s long-standing mentors who has joined her at several tournaments over the last few years. Raducanu’s fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura was also in tow.
Raducanu’s team have yet to confirm whether her partnership with Platenik is over. But the Slovakian coach caused a stir when he claimed he turned down two previous approaches from Raducanu and her dad, Ian, in an interview shortly after joining her team.
“Emma also approached me in a similar situation right after a great success [in late 2021], which is why I said it could be coaching suicide [to work with her]. But now she is in a completely different position,” he told Slovakian newspaper Dennik N.
“She’s already gone through hell, she’s already been through the worst. She had a great year last year and they did a good job with her last coach. He left at his own request due to health problems. Today she’s more mature than [at the time of] the previous offers.”
Platenik also appeared to be on Raducanu’s radar before she linked up with Nick Cavaday ahead of the 2024 Australian Open. “I wrote to Ian to ask if they had anyone, as I knew their interest in me was more long-term. Her father wrote back that they didn’t have anyone and would like to try working with me,” he explained.
While he was hesitant of Raducanu’s track record with other mentors – she went through six coaches in the first two-and-a-half years of her career – Platenik seemed hopeful they could form a long-term partnership.
He added: “They [the Raducanu family] have been communicating with me for a long time because they consider me to be that kind of coach. Of course I perceive that they change coaches often. However, I want to help Emma and if both parties recognise that I am successful, I believe that the relationship will last longer.”
However, their work seems to be over after just two weeks together. Platenik’s absence didn’t bother Raducanu in Miami. She trashed teenage wildcard Sayaka Ishii in 66 minutes to reach the second round.
