LTA chief executive Roger Draper has admitted he is hoping to name a replacement for Nigel Sears by September.
Draper aims to make high performance appointment by September
Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper has admitted he is hoping to name a replacement for Nigel Sears by September.
Sears had announced his plans to quit as the LTA's new head of women's tennis to work with former world number one Ana Ivanovic on Thursday.
The news was a blow for the LTA, with Sears overseeing the rise of five British women into the top 100 and two junior grand slam winners in Heather Watson and Laura Robson.
And the departure of Sears is the second high-profile exit, with player director Steven Martens having announced his resignation six months ago.
Only head of men's tennis and Davis Cup captain Leon Smith remains but Draper is aiming to resolve the situation relatively quickly, with the possibility of a straight replacement for Martens now firmly back on the agenda.
Draper said: "That's one of the options we've got and it's a strong option. It makes everyone's life easier having one person who's responsible.
"With Steven's departure, our thinking was we had good people in Leon and Nigel and all the other support coaches, and that we would review it after Wimbledon.
Balance
"That was always our plan and that's what we'll do. Certainly from September onwards we'll be looking to have the right balance and experience in place.
"For us it's about continuity and continuous improvement. If we need to bring in an external person, we'll certainly do that but we'll also develop the talent from within.
"When we launched the blueprint five years ago we said in 10 years' time what we want is a lot of talented young British coaches coming through. There are times, though, when you don't want to push them too far."
There is no doubt the very well-respected Sears will leave huge shoes to fill, and his departure was met with dismay by Britain's top women.
Anne Keothavong said on
Twitter: "Really sad Nigel Sears has decided to resign from his position as Head Coach of Women's Tennis.
"He has been one of the most influential people in my career and it's been a privilege to work with him. It's a loss for British Tennis and I wish him all the best working with Ana."
British number one Elena Baltacha, meanwhile, said: "I'm really sorry to hear that we're losing Nigel but I'm sure he'll help Ana a lot. There's no doubt British women's tennis has improved out of sight since Nigel first came on board.
"We've all got better individually and as a group, across the age range. Personally I've learned a lot from Nigel and I'll always be grateful to him for that."
