US Open champion Emma Raducanu is now looking for a fourth coach in less than a year after splitting with Torben Beltz; the teenager, who will continue her clay-court baptism in Madrid this week, will lean on the Lawn Tennis Association in the short term
Wednesday 27 April 2022 06:15, UK
Emma Raducanu has split with her coach Torben Beltz after only five months together.
The US Open champion hired the German, best known for guiding Angelique Kerber through her professional career, at the end of last season but it has proved another short-lived relationship.
Raducanu said in a statement: "I want to thank Torben for his coaching, professionalism and dedication over last half a year. He has a huge heart and I have enjoyed our strong chemistry during the time together.
"I feel the best direction for my development is to transition to a new training model with the LTA supporting in the interim."
The decision means Raducanu is now looking for a fourth coach in less than a year.
Beltz was appointed after the US Open champion decided not to extend a short-term partnership with Andrew Richardson, following her stunning New York triumph.
Richardson had previously coached the 19-year-old at Bromley Tennis Centre and was chosen to accompany her at the US Open because of their familiarity with one another,
Previously, she had been working with Nigel Sears, who oversaw her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon last summer.
After her famous US Open win, Raducanu highlighted that she was looking for a more experienced mentor moving forward and her search led her to Beltz, with their partnership being announced at the end of November 2021.
Beltz had been Kerber's long-term mentor across a decade and had just parted ways with the 34-year-old.
Beltz helped with Kerber's first steps on the professional tour, including her move into the top 10 before they split for the first time in 2013.
They then reunited and Beltz was by Kerber's side for the best campaign of her career in 2016, when she won Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open, reached the Wimbledon final, claimed an Olympic silver medal and became world No 1.
The pair split again at the end of 2017 before reuniting for a third time, and finally parting ways prior to Beltz's time with Raducanu.
Tuesday's announcement comes after Raducanu's best week since hiring Beltz, with back-to-back wins on clay at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and an encouraging performance in defeat to world No 1 Iga Swiatek.
But it follows a pattern that has continued from her junior days, with Raducanu, who is up to 11 in the world rankings, switching coaches frequently.
The 19-year-old, who continues her clay-court baptism in Madrid this week, will lean on the Lawn Tennis Association in the short term.
Tennis commentator Barry Cowan has defended Raducanu's decision to split with Beltz, telling Sky Sports: "Emma and her father and the people around her probably feel that maybe Torben was not bringing to Emma what they thought he could bring.
"His credentials are second to none. He worked successfully with Kerber. Former Wimbledon champion and former world number one, but sometimes dynamics don't work.
"I will say, if it isn't working, it's better to act now. You don't want it to drift for a year or two so you can look at it with the glass half full. If you're looking at the glass half empty, that is three coaches since Wimbledon and that I think for me would be the real concern.
"This year is not about Emma's ranking. This year is about Emma improving as a tennis player, also improving physically, and putting herself in a position when her ranking is going to be affected.
"It's not about her ranking, it's about her improving as a player and in two years' time, which is probably what I see as a realistic time frame, of her then being able to really establish herself at the top of the women's game in being able to be competitive more of less week-in, week-out, winning big tournaments.
"I feel confident when I look at her poise on court, her natural timing, her natural athletic ability. That is someone who is very, very special. But the very best players are the ones who are able to get everything working together for them to be able to play their best tennis on a consistent basis."
