Emma Raducanu coach: why US Open tennis champ split from Torben Beltz, past coaches and next match - explained

Emma Raducanu, who is set to play at the Madrid Open this week, is looking for a fourth coach in the space of a year after splitting from Torben Beltz
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

British tennis star Emma Raducanu has split from tennis coach Torben Beltz.

Beltz was appointed Raducanu’s coach just five months ago after the 19-year-old did not renew her contract with Andrew Richardson, with whom she had trained during her time at the Bromley Tennis Centre.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Raducanu burst onto the tennis scene at Wimbledon 2021 after she reached the fourth round of the competition despite coming in as a wildcard entry and being ranked outside the top 300.

The young tennis star is currently ranked 11 in the WTA Tour rankings and most recently reached the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Open where she was beaten by Iga Swiatek - her most successful week since hiring Beltz.

Who is Torben Beltz?

Beltz is best known for training his compatriot Angelique Kerber. The pair worked together on and off after she turned professional in 2003 and coached the 33-year-old during her most successful stint in 2016 where she won the Australian Open, the US Open as well as reaching the Wimbledon finals, won an Olympic silver medal and reached the finals of the WTA.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In November 2021, Kerber once again split ties with her German trainer and he was then able to take on the, what has turned out to be, brief mantle of becoming Raducanu’s permanent coach.

Why did Emma Raducanu split from Torben Beltz?

After announcing the move, Raducanu said: “I want to thank Torben for his coaching, professionalism and dedication over the last half a year.

Raducanu at the quarter final of the Stuttgart Open in 2022Raducanu at the quarter final of the Stuttgart Open in 2022
Raducanu at the quarter final of the Stuttgart Open in 2022

“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.”

Who will coach Emma Raducanu now?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Raducanu will team up with the LTA head of women’s coaching Iain Bates while she searches for another permanent coach.

Who are Raducanu’s past coaches?

The split from Beltz means that Raducanu will now be searching for a fourth coach in under a year.

Raducanu’s success at Wimbledon was during her time with Nigel Sears but the 19-year-old chose to travel to the US Open with Andrew Richardson due to their familiarity with one another.

It was ahead of the Indian Wells tournament that the young tennis star announced she would be parting ways with her former coaches and hired former British number one Jeremy Bates as interim coach ahead of the partnership with Torben Beltz.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Raducanu is not the only youngster to have gone through coaches in such quick succession.

During the early years of their professional careers, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer all tested out between three and four different coaches in as many years before settling on a more permanent fixture.

Djokovic recently announced his split from coach Marian Vajda, with whom he had been with for 15 years.

When is Emma Raducanu next playing?

Following her quarter final success in Germany, Raducanu will now travel down to Spain to compete in the Madrid Open which begins on Thursday 28 April 2022.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.