Emma Raducanu has named Torben Beltz her new coach, with the two expected to begin working together at the end of November.
The Telegraph’s Simon Briggs first reported the news on Tuesday, and Raducanu later confirmed it.
“You guys cracked it!” she said. “It’s obviously a great privilege to be working with such an experienced coach. I’m definitely very excited to work with him throughout the preseason and into next year.”
Beltz coached former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber to wins at the Australian Open and US Open in 2016. After the two reunited for the 2021 season, Kerber announced on Tuesday that she would be parting ways with the coach.
“Obviously, he has worked with Kerber, who is such a great player and won three slams. I think that experience definitely helps with someone as inexperienced as me,” Raducanu said.
“He can help guide me through, which I feel really confident about. Also, he’s a really positive, cheerful guy who brings great energy to the team, so I think that’s also important when you’re traveling on the road for quite a long time on the tour.”
Following her first Grand Slam victory at the US Open in September, Raducanu announced she would be splitting with coach Andrew Richardson after a brief partnership. Afterward, Raducanu said she wanted to find a coach who had more experience with high-profile WTA Tour events.
“I’m looking for someone who has been at that level and knows what it takes,” Raducanu said at the time. “And especially right now because I’m so new to it, I really need someone to guide me who’s already been through that.”
On Tuesday, Raducanu lost in the quarterfinal of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu, 6-1, 6-7, 7-5. Raducanu, ranked 20th on the WTA Tour, said afterward that she suffered an injury during the third set and had tried to fight through it to stay in the match.
“I thought Xinyu played extremely well, especially in that first set,” Raducanu told reporters. “And I’m proud of the way I fought to try to get back into the match.
“Everything was going her way and she was playing extremely well, so a lot of credit to her for keeping that level out there on the court.”
The loss concludes a season to remember for the 18-year-old Raducanu, who made history at the US Open and earned her first victories on the WTA Tour at the Transylvania Open in October.