Emma Raducanu searching for fourth coach after split with Torben Beltz

Emma Raducanu has split with her coach, Torben Beltz, after working together for only five months. Citing the need to begin a “new training model”, Raducanu will once again be searching for a new coach.

“I want to thank Torben for his coaching, professionalism and dedication over the last half a year,” said Raducanu in a statement. “He has a huge heart and I have enjoyed our strong chemistry during the time together.”

Raducanu is in Spain for the Madrid Open, a WTA 1000 tournament, where the women’s main draw begins on Thursday. She is accompanied in Spain by Iain Bates, the LTA’s head of women’s tennis. “I feel the best direction for my development is to transition to a new training model with the LTA supporting in the interim,” she said.

The split means that Raducanu is now searching for a fourth coach in the past year, an unusually fast turnover even in tennis’s volatile coaching carousel. Raducanu had worked with the prominent British coach Nigel Sears during her surprise run to the Wimbledon fourth round before hiring Andrew Richardson to support her on her first prolonged trip abroad in the United States last summer. Following her decision not to continue working with Richardson, who had helped her to the US Open title in September, Raducanu hired Beltz after a series of trials with different coaches at the end of last year.

As she joined up with Beltz, Raducanu had cited the need to work with a more experienced coach who could help guide her in her unexpected jump up to the rigours of the Tour and Beltz, who moulded Angelique Kerber into a No 1 player from her teenage years, was a well-regarded candidate known for his positive outlook.

However, his experience appears to have had limited effect on her in their short time together. Raducanu’s 2022 season so far has instead been defined by the difficulty of following up such a life-changing victory in New York and her inexperience that has been reflected in her performances and the various injuries she has picked up as her body grows accustomed to life in professional tennis. She compiled a 5-7 record with Beltz this season.

Still, the past few weeks had clearly taken a positive turn, with Raducanu following up her first professional win on clay and on her Billie Jean King Cup debut in Prague by reaching the quarter-final of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart. In the quarter-final against the new world No 1, Iga Swiatek, she went down to a respectable 4-6, 4-6 defeat.

Quick Guide

How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?

Show

  • Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
  • If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
  • In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
  • Turn on sport notifications.

Thank you for your feedback.

Raducanu notably prepared for her first clay-court season by training for a few days at the renowned Piatti academy in Italy, home of Ricardo Piatti, the former coach of Maria Sharapova who is without a top student after a recent split with Jannik Sinner. Raducanu played down the significance of her time there during the Billie Jean King Cup, saying she had merely been using their facilities to prepare on clay while Beltz was on holiday with his family.

source: theguardian.com