Mark Petchey has been one of the biggest defenders of Emma Raducanu for the past few years but now even he is saying that he noticed some "awkwardness" in the Briton's game and urged her to address certain things and remodel her game.
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Although the 22-year-old managed to win her first two Australian Open matches, she sprayed a total of 22 double faults across the matches against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova.
Alexandrova and Anisimova maybe didn't punish the 2021 US Open champion for her inconsistent serving but Iga Swiatek did exactly that in their third-round meeting.
In a brutal 1-6 0-6 loss to the Pole, Raducanu hit four double faults - made only 58 percent of her first serves - won 55 percent of her first-serve points and 23 percent of her second-serve points - and also allowed 12 break points and lost her serve five times.
Petchey, who briefly worked with the British tennis player at the start of her career, didn't like at all what he had seen from the 22-year-old at at the Australian Open.
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Petchey: I really didn't like Raducanu's tennis in Melbourne, her serve looked a little awkward
For the first time, I would say that when I watched her in Australia and she got through to the third round, I didn't really like her tennis. And that's the first time I could honestly say that," Petchey told JeffBet.
"Emma's serve from round one looked a little awkward and I've never thought that about her game ever. That would be my biggest concern. I'm not ever concerned about her athleticism. I know she's a great athlete.
It very quickly becomes quite a mental thing to overcome because if you lose confidence, particularly in your serve, it can become sort of terminal. It is the most important shot in men's and women's tennis and you dont want to lose confidence in that for too long.
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In the same interview, Petchey said he hopes Raducanu is aware that her loss to Swiatek was more than just a bad day at the office."
Also, the coach and tennis expert suggested that she should maybe watch videos from her 2021 US Open run and return to her old forehand and backhand because he personally "has not seen much gains from a technical perspective during rallies."
Last week, Raducanu split with coach Nick Cavaday.
It will be interesting to see whom she brings next and if she will make any changes to her game.
