ROLAND GARROS

May 22, 2026

Emma Raducanu

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Emma, welcome to Paris. Just talk to us about your preparation, and obviously you were in Strasbourg last week. I guess an overview of how things are going and how are you feeling.

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, it's nice to be back in Paris. I feel like the year passed quickly, but it's an amazing feeling to be back at a Grand Slam and, yeah, very grateful to be here after the past couple of months that I've had.

I wasn't sure, and I think I'm feeling good about how I'm approaching each day and working. Yeah, just happy to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. First time I've seen you since you've employed Andrew Richardson again. Why him again now? Tell us about what you hope he will bring.

EMMA RADUCANU: He's someone I've known for a very long time, over a decade. We have a great chemistry I think, coach/player relationship. That was evident every time we worked together.

So I think after I had a break because I got sick, I wanted to come back in a really authentic way. Yeah, reached out. Didn't necessarily know where it was going or how it was going to come about, and everything happened very quickly, as he was still at the academy. They were very accommodating in the sense when I went to train there and also him being able to start so soon.

So it happened very quickly, but yeah, just very happy to have him back.

Q. What's the commitment going forward of Andrew? Is it the entire year? Is he happy to travel? Just talk about how you reached out. Was it a phone call, or did you just drop into Spain one day and pop into the academy?

EMMA RADUCANU: So we're, yeah, working together for the rest of the year, which is a good thing. I think consistency is needed.

I think regardless of the results, I want to for sure just commit and give everything I can. I think it's been working so far really well since I started returning to training.

Yeah, we stayed in touch, but it was just a text, and I was, like, Heyyy. When you get a text from me with, like, heyyy, with three Ys, just know something is cooking (laughing). It was one of those.

But then it was really nice. We were able to catch up on a bit of lost time. Yeah, it was just a good chat. Then we very quickly got on court.

Q. Emma, obviously lots of people kind of have lots of opinions about your coaching situation and have done over many years. I just wonder, in hindsight do you think you should have stuck with Andrew after the US Open? Do you feel like maybe it was a mistake now looking back?

EMMA RADUCANU: I mean, 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 in the sense that I was being pulled left, right. I didn't really know what was going on.

I think everything also happened very quickly then. I think what it taught me was, a lot of experiences over the last few years, it 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. So it's really nice to have that feeling back.

Q. Your colleagues right now are protesting the tournament by reducing their media commitments, not speaking to rights holders. I'm curious what you make of it and just the general kind of push for more kind of prize money and that kind of thing?

EMMA RADUCANU: I mean, why wouldn't I want to be talking to you guys for more than 15 minutes? Like, I don't understand (smiling). For me, it's part of what we do.

I understand, of course, the position of the players. Compared to the other sports, the percentage is lower, but I've just been focused on trying to get myself back at a level, operating well.

For me, it's also playing a Grand Slam isn't necessarily just about the money. I think it's a lot more about the prestige. It's a lot about the history, and that's what I value the most.

Yeah, I'm just grateful to be at another slam.

Q. You mentioned about the chemistry with Andrew. Just wondered sort of, like, why you think you click? Is that a kind of personal thing? Is that how he is on the court?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think -- well, as you all know, you probably just naturally forge easier bonds with certain people over others.

I think the fact also that he's known me since I was very young, and I know that he's always ever just wanted the best for me. When you have known someone also before I had any success, it does make a little bit of a difference, too.

But as a coach, I think he really -- he believes in me, and he's someone who doesn't necessarily get wavered or put off by results. He's very consistent, very solid. Just, like we work, we do our best, we try again. We find out iteration by iteration, and I think that is something that I could really use, because I'm naturally more emotional in the sense that I want things to happen quickly.

So I think having him just steady, you know, keep going day after day is really good for me.

Q. You can't miss him when you look at a tennis court, but what's he like as a coach? Obviously not too detailed, but what's he like in that role?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I think he's a great coach in the sense that he doesn't necessarily need to speak all the time, but when he speaks, it's pretty impactful.

You know, I think he's, on one hand, relatively soft-spoken, but he also has a very fiery side to him, which I really enjoy and gets fired up, and I really build off that, too.

I think that the chemistry we have between each other, we kind of bounce off each other. Then, of course, I think he also emphasizes the fundamentals really well and using the full body to play the shots.

Playing tennis and constantly bringing intensity to the practices. You know, like not just warming up and hitting. Every practice, every ball has a purpose. Just good habits all the time. Building good habits is probably, yeah, the biggest thing that we try and do every day.

Q. Earlier this year I know you said that you didn't want to rush into finding another coach. Especially given what you've said about after that US Open and you kind of getting pulled every which way, how important was it for you to make this decision to bring Andrew back for yourself and on your own terms and sort of block out the noise of what people thought about that relationship before?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I mean, I think when it was kind of developing, of course, in the back of my mind, like, I'm aware of the judgment that could potentially follow and did she make a mistake, did she regret it, and all these questions that are being asked.

But 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, which 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, but I'm really glad I made the decision for myself. In general, I think the people I have around me right now are amazing.

Like, the team, I really feel like we're very like-minded and connected and, yeah, just genuine.

Q. How are you feeling health-wise at the moment after what happened in Rome? Then I guess you've only had one match back, so are you feeling like you're past everything now and you're fully healthy, or are there still things you are working through?

EMMA RADUCANU: I feel a lot better. I thought I'd completely flipped it. I think there's just been a little bit of a lingering cough recently. I can say it, because it is what it is.

But I feel health-wise really good. I think it ebbs and flows with it, but much better in terms of physically. I played a really positive match last week in Strasbourg in the sense it was over two hours, and I think physically I pulled up really well from it.

So, yeah, I'm happy to take that and build from it.

Q. Just what do you make of your draw, Emma? Obviously somebody who knows their way around a clay court very well.

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, no, for sure. They don't like clay courts in Argentina (smiling).

No, she's a great player. Had a good run last year at Wimbledon, too. 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.

I know I'm going to have to play really good tennis and be aggressive. I feel like the conditions are pretty lively so far in the practice days, as the weather is hot, but I think that could be a good thing.

Yeah, I just want to go out there and try and play on my terms as much as I can.

Q. On a completely different subject, I'm writing a piece about AI in tennis, and I'm curious how much do you use AI in your general life?

EMMA RADUCANU: Yeah, I use Chat a lot. Like every small thing I do it, and actually I got this idea. So, you know how Spotify do a Spotify Wrapped? I asked ChatGPT to make me a Chat Wrapped, and it was that she giving me a rundown on my personality.

I was, like, it's a little bit too accurate. So it was, like, very clear, very concise. Yeah, no nonsense, like straight into the question.

I was like, okay, I can relate maybe. Some of that is true.

Q. What kind of questions have you been asking it?

EMMA RADUCANU: It's as random as my brain. One minute it's history. One minute it's art. One minute it's some random fact. One minute it's translations. So different questions.