Emma Raducanu’s ex-coach Dmitry Tursunov gives verdict on ‘diva’ rumours after split | Tennis | Sport

Dmitry Tursunov has addressed previous speculation that Emma Raducanu is a “diva” following their recent split. The Russian opted to walk away from the British No 1 after coaching her for two months but is full of praise for Raducanu as he admitted he had been “super impressed” with how she handled her status.

Raducanu became a household name almost overnight when she won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier, making history. The Brit has since gone on to sign lucrative brand deals with the likes of Dior, Porsche and British Airways, which has since prompted some rumours that the 20-year-old is a “diva” as some have tried to correlate her tournament results with her sponsorship commitments.

But her former coach has now shut down any suggestion that the world No 74 was missing training for her brand deals and instead lauded her professionalism. “Honestly, I did not see or feel that there were a lot of outside things going on,” Tursunov told SportsKeeda.

“From the time that we started, Emma just really had her nose to the ground. She was very hard working and I did not see her skip a lot of things. There was no aura of diva or superstar about her and I think she has been managing that part very well.”

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