Emma Raducanu has been told to commit to a coach for the long term by 18-time grand slam champion Martina Navratilova.
Raducanu teamed up with Mark Petchey ahead of the clay and grass-court swings, having split with Vladimir Platenik following a first-round exit at Indian Wells in March.
While working with Petchey, Raducanu played some of her best tennis since her stunning success as a qualifier at the US Open in 2021.
She reached the third round at Wimbledon and offered a stern test to world number one Aryna Sabalenka, losing 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.
While Raducanu failed to equal her best run at the All England Club, having made the fourth round in 2021 and 2024, she has now won 18 WTA main-draw matches this season.
That is already her joint-most in a single calendar year, having also registered 18 victories in 2024.
Raducanu now holds a 9-4 record at Wimbledon, with her 69% win rate at SW19 her second-best at any slam – she has won 78% of her matches at the US Open (7-2).
But if the 22-year-old is to enjoy more success at Flushing Meadows this year, Navratilova feels she needs a consistent presence in her box.
"Commit to a year. If you like the person, if you know them and what they can bring to your game, then you need to really buy in and stick with it and make sure you're doing your part with training, fitness, eating all of that," Navratilova told Sky Sports.
"She's got the talent, and she did play better tennis against Sabalenka. She's going in the right direction now.
"She needs to stick with somebody for longer, because when you work with somebody, it takes a while to incorporate them into your game and then get the results.
"When you start a new training regime, you don't immediately go faster or get stronger.
"I just think she needs to really take charge of her life, make sure that she's the one that's making all the decisions for herself, and then stick with somebody."
Raducanu is next in action at next week's Washington Open, where home hope Jessica Pegula will be the top seed.
