Miami vibes suit Raducanu as joy found on and off court

Briton shows she plays best in a positive environment but current coaching setup is unlikely to be for long term

- Tumaini Carayol

Not long before she was due on court for one of the more significant occasions of her career so far, Emma Raducanu was pictured surrounded by her temporary team of the week - Jane O'Donoghue, Mark Petchey and Yutaka Nakamura - on the player warmup lawn inside the hulking Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. While many players try to enjoy a quiet moment alone in their own thoughts before being called on to court, team Raducanu were preoccupied by an epic spikeball battle.

At one point during the game, which involves players rebounding a ball against a springy, circular net between them with their hands, Petchey threw himself on the ground in a doomed attempt to save the point. They were all soon doubled over with laughter.

Those scenes helpfully illustrated the point that Raducanu has repeatedly made during her strong quarter-final run at the Miami Open. After an uncertain start to the tournament, with Raducanu opting to end her trial period with the Slovak coach Vladimir Platenik a day before her first-round match, Raducanu now believes she is able to unlock her creativity and play with freedom in a positive, relaxed atmosphere rather than with a rigid approach.