Raducanu splits with coach after less than 6 months

Emma Raducanu has split with her coach Sebastian Sachs of less than six months.

Raducanu only appointed the former German player in mid-December but has announced a parting of ways.

“I have really enjoyed Seb’s coaching and working with him. It’s unfortunate that circumstances made it unfeasible for both of us to continue right now and we have decided to part ways. I wish Seb all the best moving forwards,” Raducanu tweeted.

The 2021 US Open champion is currently sidelined and could miss most of the season following surgery on her wrists and ankle.

Sachs was her fifth coach in two years, following Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz and Dmitry Tursunov.

The 31-year-old coached Swiss player Belinda Bencic when she won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

His brief stint with Raducanu included the Australian Open in January, but their partnership is now over.

The 20-year-old spoke about hoping to forge a long-term link with Sachs in Melbourne, saying: “I really like Seb. I think that we’ve been doing some great work.

“He’s very objective and really experienced, actually I just love the way that we’re working together and I really hope it lasts.”

She has been criticised for not having a consistent voice in her corner since winning the US Open, notably her decision to immediately part ways with Richardson.

Richardson had guided her in New York.

Raducanu’s team say this latest split was a mutual decision, with the British number one unable to do any work In court for several months, and that the pair have a great relationship.

They also say that they have not yet begun the process of looking for Sachs’ successor.

The priority will be Raducanu’s recovery.

But finding the right mentor has proved a tricky business for the world number 107 as she must now go through that process all over again.

NAN/Emmanuel Ukoh