Emma Raducanu has expressed her enthusiasm about working with Francis Roig, the former coach of tennis legend Rafael Nadal, as she prepares for the upcoming US Open. Raducanu, who has been working informally with British coach Mark Petchey since March, has now officially added Roig to her coaching team.

Roig, who played a pivotal role in Nadal's 22 Grand Slam victories from 2005 to 2022, brings a wealth of experience to Raducanu's camp. "He's obviously got a bank of experience and I'm very excited to continue working with him and to have him on my side," Raducanu told Sky Sports.

Raducanu is currently competing in the Cincinnati Open, marking her first appearance since 2022. She received a first-round bye and will face either Katie Boulter or Olga Danilovic in her opening match. Roig has joined Raducanu for this WTA 1,000 event in Ohio, which serves as the final tournament before the US Open begins on August 24.

"It's going really well," Raducanu said. "It's my second day with [Roig] here, but I did a few days in London before I came out here."

Raducanu's preparation for the US Open has included a semi-final run at the Washington Open in July, where she was defeated by Anna Kalinskaya, and a disappointing loss to Amanda Anisimova at the Canadian Open last week. Despite these setbacks, Raducanu remains focused on improving her game.

"I'm working on the quality of my shots to be better," she said. "I think against the very top, that's what it needs, it needs to improve. So I'm hoping with time, I'm pretty patient, I'm going to try and be pretty patient, that it will improve."

Raducanu's coaching team has seen frequent changes, raising questions about her setup. Since Nick Cavaday stepped aside for health reasons in January, she has not had a permanent coach, although Cavaday rejoined her team for the grass-court season. Raducanu has previously worked with a range of coaches, including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, and Sebastian Sachs.

Earlier this year, Raducanu ended a trial with Vladimir Platenik after two weeks. However, she has seen positive results under Petchey, reaching the quarter-finals at the Miami Open, the fourth round at the Italian Open, and the quarter-finals at Queen's Club.

As Raducanu continues to fine-tune her game with Roig, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see how this new partnership impacts her performance at the US Open.