Emma Raducanu has split with her coach of less than six months Sebastian Sachs.
Raducanu only appointed the former German player in mid-December, but she has announced a parting of the 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.
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. 🦾 pic.twitter.com/wrewLWVDVS
Advertisement— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) June 1, 2023
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, who had guided her in New York.
Raducanu’s team insist this latest split was a mutual decision, with the British number one unable to do any work on court for several months, and that the pair have a great relationship, while they have not yet begun the processor 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 and she must now go through that process all over again, with the concern that the best coaches will be put off working with her by the high turnover.
