Emma Raducanu has found her new coach.
The US Open champion will hire veteran Torben Beltz as her new coach, The Telegraph's Simon Briggs reports.
Raducanu: Will Have Coach in Place for 2022 AO
The 18-year-old Raducanu and 44-year-old Beltz were photographed in discussions with her agent, Chris Helliar, at a coffee bar near her home in Bromley. The Raducanu Instagram fan site, Nuts4Raducanu, posted the image of the meeting on October 20th and today.
Beltz has served as long-time coach for former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber, who told Porsche Tennis Magazine the pair decided to part at the end of 2021.
“I would like to take on more responsibility,” Kerber said. “I’m very grateful for our time together and for everything we experienced and achieved as a team.”
Raducanu, who is the top seed at this week's Upper Austria Ladies Linz, told the media yesterday she will have a new coach in place in time for the Australian Open, which starts on January 17th. Raducanu split with Andrew Richardson, who coached her during the US Open, following her Flushing Meadows triumph.
"I'm here on my own, I'm being my own coach again this week, which I think is really good for me long-term," Raducanu told the media in Linz. "I'm really feeling positive about my coaching situation, it's in a good place. I'll have a coach in place at the Australian Open.
"I had some trials and they went well. I'm really excited to get some good work done in pre-season and we're going to have a really good time for sure. I think my game's going to be moving in the right direction so I'm pretty excited for that."
Raducanu made history as the first qualifier, male or female, to capture a Grand Slam singles championship at the US Open. Following her maiden major, Raducanu said she wanted a coach who had extensive experience on the pro circuit. Beltz owns nearly two decades of pro experience and has a reputation as a thoughtful and disciplined coach adept at diagnosing opponents' strengths and weaknesses.
The Kerber-Beltz partnership peaked in 2016 when Kerber toppled Serena Williams to win her maiden major at the Australian Open. She won the 2016 silver medal at the Rio Olympics, knocked off Karolina Pliskova to win the US Open and finished the season as year-end world No. 1.
The German left-hander's work with Beltz goes all the way back to 2003 when Kerber made her first pro appearance in Berlin as a wild card. During their second stint together from 2011 to 2013 Kerber make her first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2011 US Open. Kerber was struggling a bit at the start of 2015 falling in the first round of the Australian Open when she hired Beltz for the third time before embarking on her tremendous 2016 campaign.
Beltz also coached Donna Vekic, guiding her from No. 52 to the Top 20.
Photo credit: Nuts4Raducanu Instagram