Things are rarely by the book in the world of Emma Raducanu, and here in Paris she finds herself in the unusual position of sharing her coach with TNT Sport.
The 22-year-old faces China’s Xinyu Wang in the first round of the French Open on Monday – but whether she will have the benefit of Mark Petchey’s advice from the stands depends entirely on the vagaries of the broadcast schedule.
But Raducanu is all about looking on the bright side these days, and she insists the uncertainty has forced her to think on her feet.
Petchey joined team Raducanu in Miami after the premature end of her coaching trial with Vlado Platenik and is working around his commentating commitments.
In Paris he is part of the Discovery team, who are broadcasting on TNT Sport in Europe and TruTV in the US, so when it comes to having her coach courtside, the British No 2 will be at the mercy of the schedule.
Also with Raducanu in Paris are Jane O’Donoghue, her childhood mentor turned financier who is taking a sabbatical from her day job, and Loughborough coach Tom Welsh.
Emma Raducanu finds herself in the unusual position of sharing Mark Petchey with TNT Sport
Petchey joined team Raducanu in Miami after the end of her coaching trial with Vlado Platenik
‘It completely depends on the schedule he (Petchey) gets,’ said Raducanu. ‘I knew that going into it.
‘For him it’s a great opportunity to keep doing what he does so well and at the same time have fun hopefully being on court with me. I have Tom here who is going to help and Jayne.’
With coaching from the stands now permitted, the absence of Petchey from the box puts Raducanu at a disadvantage. O’Donoghue is never the most vocal on court and Welsh is inexperienced at the highest level.
But Raducanu says she is learning to think on her feet when Petchey is absent, as he was during her first-round victory over Maya Joint in Rome.
‘Being a lot more self-sufficient is something Mark has helped me with since Miami,’ said the world No 41.
‘A great sign of a coach is when you don’t necessarily feel like you need them every shot, every point, so he’s really helped me to figure things out for myself.
‘When he’s not here on the match court, if I am struggling with something or I want to ask something tactically or technically then I’ll just go to Tom or Jayne.’
Raducanu is well pleased with her current setup, but since the cessation of Andy Murray’s partnership with Novak Djokovic there has been excitement over the prospect of the two highest-profile figures in British tennis uniting at some point in the future.
Petchey’s advice from the stands depends entirely on the vagaries of the broadcast schedule.
Will we ever get the partnership the nation wants to see? ‘I hope he’s forgiven me for last year, I still feel bad about it,’ laughed Raducanu, referring to her late decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles with Murray at his final Wimbledon.
‘I don’t know, that’s something that’s not been anywhere near my mind. I’m looking forward to seeing him around but as to anything more, that’s very far out of my thoughts.’
There were no British players in action on Sunday in a low-key opening day of the French Open – Grand Slam Sunday starts continue to be anti-climactic.
Raducanu will lead the charge this morning at 10am UK time and will be a marginal favourite to get past world No43 Wang.
The 23-year-old hits a big ball and, despite not having the best record on clay overall, has twice made the third round here.
Katie Boulter will have to battle the notoriously rowdy French fans as well as Carole Monnet and Jodie Burrage has her work cut out against Danielle Collins.
The most eye-catching matchup from a British point of view is Jacob Fearnley against 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka.
The 40-year-old Swiss last year ended Murray’s French Open career in the first round here, and Fearnley was happy to accept the narrative of retribution.
‘I guess we can see it like that,’ said the 23-year-old. ‘Hopefully I can get the revenge for Scotland!’