Emma Raducanu's incredible victory at the US Open was a whirlwind of a journey. Most hadn't heard about her prior to Wimbledon but that has definitely changed. Channel 4 recorded a peak of 9.2 million watchers during her final against Leylah Fernandez and Amazon Prime reported that this was their 'most streamed tennis match ever'. Never before had a qualifier won the US Open and to watch her do so was incredible. Of course for Emma the journey had been a lot longer than that.
Harry Bushnell, who coached Emma for five years from when she was 6-11 years old, was there at the beginning of that journey. He has done a fascinating hour long interview talking about his experiences coaching Emma and other high level mini tennis players. The interview is on Amanda Twigg's YouTube channel, a small channel with fewer than 70 subscribers right now, but one with great content.
Harry celebrating Emma winning the US Open
Harry reveals how much Emma was training and competing as well as how they tailored her programme to her. The conversation spreads to the system Emma rose through such as Mini Tennis, Talent ID, Ratings and Rankings. Many of these things have been changed/abandoned since Emma passed through the system and Harry discusses whether the path she took is still there or if it's changed for better or worse.
The interview has been split up into six parts. All of the videos provide a fascinating insight into life as a coach of a top player as well as an interesting analysis of the LTA's support for top players over the last decade.
- The Beginnings (5-7)
- How much Tennis + Parental Support
- Early LTA Support
- Competition and Fitness
- Helping Find A New Coach
- A Final Message
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