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The ‘invisible mentor’ behind Emma Raducanu Revealed That Ready to….
The ‘invisible mentor’ behind Emma Raducanu Revealed That Ready to take her to next level
Emma Raducanu’s coaching carousel has been one of the most prominent storylines of her first full year on tour. From sudden coaching splits to her unconventional decision to operate without a full-time person at the helm of her team, it has been the talk of tennis.
But for all the attention, one woman in her inner circle managed to fall under the radar. Raducanu’s childhood coach Jane O’Donoghue has been described as the “invisible mentor” supporting her stratospheric rise, and she has now swooped in at the most important juncture in the tennis calendar: Wimbledon.
Former player and LTA coach O’Donoghue popped up at the All England Club’s Aorangi Park practice courts with Raducanu on Tuesday. She has been by her side for the entire week, as she prepares to return to the tournament that launched her career a mere 12 months ago.
The ‘invisible mentor’ behind Emma Raducanu Revealed That Ready to take her to next level
For those in the know, it did not come as a surprise. O’Donoghue’s former LTA colleague and doubles partner Claire Curran puts it simply: “Jane’s never not been on Emma’s team.”
A former top 200 player, O’Donoghue spent a decade at the LTA between 2009 and 2019, mainly serving as head of women’s tennis. In that role she helped guide Raducanu’s development, in particular from age 13 to 17, sometimes attending her training sessions in Bromley three times a week and also travelling to junior competitions with her.
In 2019 she swapped her high-powered tennis career for the city, and now works for the Royal Bank of Canada, but has remained Raducanu’s confidante. “She’s always been an invisible mentor to Emma, she’s a friend of the family,” Curran says. “So even though she’s not been on the scene in the last three-and-a-half years, she’s very much been part of Emma’s inner circle.”
O’Donoghue, 39, was a sounding board for Raducanu during Wimbledon last year, and even attended the men’s final with her on Centre Court. During the US Open, she was one of a number of coaches who Raducanu turned to for advice as she inched her way closer to her historic title.
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Raducanu’s ability to take control of her matches in New York, and for three rounds at Wimbledon last year, was one of the most eye-catching facets to her breakthrough. It is a game-style she moulded with O’Donoghue. “Back in 2018, Jane told me, ‘Emma’s always going to be the one changing direction, on the front foot, dictating play’,” Curran says. “She had a really clear understanding of the way Emma was going to build this way of playing. At the US Open, she beat people on the front foot, changing direction – that’s the game they created together.
“When I see her on the court with Emma now, I know they’ll be addressing that game identity and really making sure she’s going back to the way in which she really plays the game.”
For all her success, Raducanu is still adapting to life on tour. She has had niggling injuries and more modest results this year. Since dropping German coach Torben Beltz in April, she has adopted an alternative “training model” where she consults with a number of different coaches rather than just one.
LTA head of women’s tennis Iain Bates was in her corner during the clay court season, and she has taken technical advice from highly-regarded LTA performance coach and doubles specialist Louis Cayer. But with 17 Brits in the main draw in singles at Wimbledon, the LTA coaches were going to be more stretched. It makes perfect sense then that O’Donoghue has been called upon at this moment.
Raducanu is making her debut on Centre Court on Monday, a hugely high-pressured moment. Luckily, she will be able to turn to her temporary chief consultant to offer some first-person advice. In 2002 O’Donoghue was playing in the main draw at Wimbledon for only the second time, like Raducanu, and did so on Centre Court against none other than reigning champion Venus Williams. Unlike Raducanu, she was the underdog, and lost 6-1 6-1. But this link will no doubt be helpful.
Raducanu is said to have complete trust in O’Donoghue, as do her parents. Because of their long history working together, O’Donoghue is able to be direct with Raducanu and knows what works on the court. There is no doubt a level of respect there due to their shared interest in the finance sector too, which Raducanu and has previously spoken about.
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She has looked relaxed on the practice courts at Aorangi Park with O’Donoghue despite the injury-plagued build-up to Wimbledon. “Jane’s not looking to be in the limelight at all,” Curran says. “She just wants what’s best for Emma. I think it’s important Emma has that type of person in her team and her corner.”
There is no suggestion that O’Donoghue will be continuing this hands-on role post-Wimbledon. Nor do we know if she will even sit in Raducanu’s player box when she takes to the court on Monday. Regardless, her presence at the All England Club this week has been a welcome grounding force ahead of what could well be the most intense fortnight of Raducanu’s career so far.
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Sports
The power struggle over Christian Horner has claimed its first victim: Red Bull Key Player Leave to Make Dream team with Hamilton at Ferrari
The power struggle over Christian Horner has claimed its first victim: Red Bull Key Player Leave to Make Dream team with Hamilton at Ferrari
According to information from Motorsport-Total.com , the Brit has already submitted his resignation to the current world champion team! Auto Motor und Sport first reported on Newey’s impending departure.
The reason for Newey’s throwing down is the power struggle at Red Bull that has been raging for weeks in the wake of the affair surrounding team boss Christian Horner.
Although the 65-year-old only signed a new contract last year, the team boss’s recent behavior is said to have finally caused the design guru to say goodbye – also to himself, as Newey apparently increasingly misses the appreciation for his work and the climate between the two Brits have cooled down significantly.
There has been speculation in the Formula 1 paddock for a long time about Newey’s move to Ferrari, where the Briton could form the new dream team for Maranello together with compatriot Lewis Hamilton in the future – and should help the Scuderia to new glory with the rule changes for 2026.
But Aston Martin also believes that with owner Lawrence Stroll’s thick checkbook there is a chance of signing Newey, especially since the designer could then remain resident in Great Britain with his family. Rumor has it that Canadian billionaire Newey is offering $100 million over four years for his services at the new Aston Martin factory.
The Brit’s current Red Bull salary is estimated at around ten million per year. How quickly Newey can actually get out of his Red Bull contract and how long he will then be banned from working for the competition is currently still the subject of negotiations surrounding the termination of the sought-after design guru, who now has to decide: Big dollars in Silverstone or dolce vita in Italy?
Domino effect: beginning of the end for Red Bull?
But one thing is certain: after almost two decades, seven driver’s and six constructor’s titles, Newey’s stint in Milton Keynes is coming to an end, with the once again dominant RB20 likely to add two more World Cup trophies to his illustrious collection of titles by the end of the season: the Brit had previously also built world champion cars for Williams and McLaren.
However, Newey never made a secret of his admiration for Lewis Hamilton and the attraction of one day working with the record world champion. At Ferrari this dream could now come true.
Spicy: Not only did Newey’s wife Amanda recently like a post on Maranello is located.
Meanwhile, with the departure of the star designer, there are increasing question marks behind the future of world champion Max Verstappen: The Dutchman is increasingly being linked with a move to Mercedes , and his stay at Red Bull is said to be based primarily on the personal details of motorsport consultant Helmut Marko and mastermind Newey.
The Brit’s decision could therefore trigger a domino effect – in the worst case, the current successful team could even face disintegration due to the departure of its most important employees.
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“That’s wrong for you to ask me that.” Denny Hamlin Shocked Kevin Harvick On His Request Over Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“That’s wrong for you to ask me that.” Denny Hamlin Shocked Kevin Harvick On His Request Over Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was left in a dilemma after Kevin Harvick asked him to select his preferred driver from Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he sat down during the Harvick Happy Hour podcast.
The eleventh Cup Series race on the calendar is due to flag off tomorrow, at 2.00 PM ET, and will be held by the Dover Motor Speedway. The Würth 400 will mark the 106th dash hosted by the 1.03-mile track
and spells of mayhem at the Monster Mile will be witnessed. Ahead of the 400-lap dash, all JGR drivers sat down with retired NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and opined on their favorite pick.
Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., and Christopher Bell were asked to select between the 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott and the two-time Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Hearing Harvick’s “hardest question” and the hilarious expressions he threw, Hamlin was sent into a dilemma and replied (via HarvickHappyHour on X):
“That’s wrong for you to ask me that.”
He then opted for the HMS driver and the team followed in the same footsteps, taking Elliott’s name, courtesy of his 2020 Cup Series championship. However, Hamlin gave a hysterical reason behind opting for the Georgia native, adding:
“We have to answer Chase on the racetrack, we don’t have to answer Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the track.”
Denny Hamlin takes a bold stance with “we’re going to win Dover” claim He then opted for the HMS driver and the team followed in the same footsteps, taking Elliott’s name, courtesy of his 2020 Cup Series championship. However, Hamlin gave a hysterical reason behind opting for the Georgia native, adding:
The current season has witnessed Hamlin rake in two wins, two top-5s, and three top-10s, placing him sixth in the rankings. His last win came at the Richmond Raceway after a controversial overtime move initiated by his #11 Toyota Camry dethroned his teammate Martin Truex Jr. from his potential maiden win this season.
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“You’re Pissing Me Off” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Instantly Shuts Down Denny Hamlin Over What He Said
“You’re Pissing Me Off” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Instantly Shuts Down Denny Hamlin Over What He Said
Saving fuel on superspeedways and the lack of enough horsepower on short tracks have turned into big headaches for NASCAR lately. On one side while Goodyear is busy experimenting with different tire types to improve short-track racing, on the other, many NASCAR insiders, including the DBC crew, reckon that’s just the way superspeedway racing is going to roll for now, at least until some big changes kick in. However, Denny Hamlin recently floated the idea of shorter races on drafting tracks during his podcast, a suggestion that didn’t exactly thrill Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr was none too pleased when the topic of shortening races popped up on his podcast
On a recent episode, Dale Jr’s co-hosts brought up how to spice up superspeedway races, mentioning Denny Hamlin’s idea of trimming the races to 400 miles to better align the stages with fuel runs. Basically, Hamlin had argued, “What NASCAR could do is just take this take the superspeedway races down to 400 miles, and then the stages would probably line up quite a bit better. If a stage was a fuel run, we would never save because we’re always going to fight for stage points.“ But Dale Jr wasn’t buying it. He compared the idea to getting less of what you love, saying, “That’s like giving me less candy bar. That’s like giving me less Tater chips in the bag. You’re pissing me off. Stop it! You know what I’m saying? […] Don’t give me less race. ‘Oh! We don’t like our race, so let’s just do less of it’.”
Dale Jr firmly rejected the suggestion to cut down race length, proposing a different fix instead: “That’s a way to get that but I don’t think I want to have a shorten the race? Why don’t you just put enough stages in there to get that solution that you want to. […] so just add another stage don’t take away racing don’t take don’t you just said you don’t want to add another stage well don’t if you’re giving me the choice between taking away candy bar shortening up my candy bar right or taking chips out of the bag versus adding another stage, I’m gonna say just add the f*cking stage man. I don’t want less racing okay I don’t want less racing.”
Stewart-Haas Racing’s crew chief Rodney Childers also echoed similar thoughts on the matter. Childers pointed out, “If the stages were 40 laps instead of 60 laps, there wouldn’t be any fuel saving. So, if you had two 40s and whatever else or however you want to split it up“
Right now, fuel runs at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega last about 40-45 laps, meaning stages should be around 40 laps or shorter to allow drivers to complete them on a single tank. However, things seem to be taking a turn (in Denny Hamlin’s favor) as the Coke Zero 400 will see a 35-lap first stage and a 60-lap second stage, followed by a final 65-lap dash. The first stage is under the fuel run limit, so there’s no need to save fuel early on, but the next two stages will need at least one pit stop.
However, shortening races, as Hamlin suggested, doesn’t quite solve the issue, as it’s tricky to divide a race into three parts where each is short enough to avoid refueling. As long as there’s a pit stop before a stage ends or the race concludes, drivers will have a reason to save fuel. Even eliminating stage breaks wouldn’t stop this—drivers would just aim to minimize their final stop or try to finish w,ith fewer pit stops overall.
So, what other strategies could be employed to jazz up the superspeedway races?
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The power struggle over Christian Horner has claimed its first victim: Red Bull Key Player Leave to Make Dream team with Hamilton at Ferrari
“That’s wrong for you to ask me that.” Denny Hamlin Shocked Kevin Harvick On His Request Over Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
