All you need to know about Torben Beltz, the new coach of Emma Raducanu
The US Open champion Emma Raducanu confirmed on Tuesday night that Angelique Kerber’s long-time mentor Torben Beltz will be her new coach. Beltz certainly has WTA Tour experience and has that aura which could be a deciding factor in the development of Raducanu in the coming years.
Beltz worked with Kerber for the majority of his career, initially starting coaching the three-time Grand Slam winner when she was a teenager.
The 44-year-old started his first stint as a coach with Kerber from 2004 to 2013, during which she rose in the ranking charts and was one of the leading women tennis stars. She came into limelight at the US Open 2011, where she reached the semi-finals of the tournament.
However, Beltz and Kerber parted ways at the end of 2013, but he was rehired as her coach at the start of 2015 when she was struggling with the form. As soon as she hired him back – she once again rose in the ranking charts and moved into the top 10.
Kerber ended 2016 as world number one and once again parted ways with the German in 2017, but he rejoined her team once more in July 2020.
From 2017-2020 – Bletz coached Donna Vekic. The 25-year-old enjoyed a steady rise up the world rankings at the start of this period and played some fine tennis under him.
Vekic saw more progress in 2019 as she reached her first Grand Slam quarters at the US Open. She even moved into the top 20 in ranking charts.
Since parting ways with Beltz – Donna Vekic career graph has gone downwards.
“I can look back positively on the past season. I invested lots of strength and energy to get to where I am now. For me, the next step when starting the season in Australia will be all about continuing where I left off.”
“After Torben’s departure from the team, it also means that I would like to take on more responsibility. I’m very grateful for our time together and for everything we experienced and achieved as a team.”
He is married and has two children. His hobbies include playing golf and basketball.
Around the tour and behind the scenes, the German is known for his positivity and a gentle, good-natured approach that can be seen during his interactions and practice sessions. His high work rate is also regarded as one of the best and that will surely be another positive thing for Raducanu, who is pretty inexperienced at the moment.
The 18-year-old has been looking for a new full-time coach since she decided not to extend her stint with Andrew Richardson following September’s US Open triumph. The move of a split came as a surprise to fans and critics.
Raducanu will now join her new coach in the off-season as she is looking to prepare for Australian Open 2022 which is scheduled to start on January 17. She surely would have cited the German’s experience and success with Kerber and would have chosen him over other contenders.
Talking after the appointment Emma Raducanu said:
“I think that experience definitely helps with someone as inexperienced as me. 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 travelling on the road for quite a long time on the tour.”
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