LONDON: US Open champion Emma Raducanu is set to appoint her fourth coach in a year after ending her association with Torben Beltz after just five months, she said on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old is due to play in the Madrid Open this week as she builds up to the French Open but said she felt she required a “new training model”.
The Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) head of women’s coaching, Iain Bates, will work with Raducanu this week.
She will bid to build on her run to the Stuttgart quarterfinals last week where she lost to world number one and eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
“I want to thank Torben for his coaching, professionalism and dedication over the last half a year”, said Raducanu, who on Monday rose to her highest world ranking of 11.
“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.”
Beltz previously coached former world number one and fellow German Angelique Kerber when she won the Australian Open and US Open titles in 2016.
Raducanu has gone through a number of coaches in the past year since she first made her mark in reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon, even before she had received her final school exam results.
She replaced Nigel Sears with Andrew Richardson after Wimbledon, but Richardson’s contract was not renewed despite Raducanu’s stunning success at the US Open.
Raducanu could turn towards Italian Ricardo Piatti, who has coached among others France’s former world number seven, the mercurial Richard Gasquet, and 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic.
He is available after cutting ties with compatriot Jannik Sinner, who he guided into the men’s world top 10.
Raducanu trained at his academy prior to embarking on her clay court campaign earlier in April. — AFP
