(CNN)British tennis star Emma Raducanu says it was a “tough” decision to part ways with coach Torben Beltz after just five months together.
The 19-year-old, who stunned the tennis world by winning the US Open as a qualifier last year, is now looking for a fourth coach in less than a year.
Raducanu’s split with the German came as a surprise to many as she continues her build-up on clay ahead of her first appearance at the French Open next month.
“Torben is a very great guy,” she told reporters ahead of this week’s Madrid Open. “I really enjoyed my time with him on and off the pitch.
“He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met so obviously breaking up with someone like that was difficult, but I’m very comfortable with my current training at the moment.
“Torben was great for me because when I wanted someone with touring experience I think it was very valuable for my first six months on the tour.”
READ: Emma Raducanu has been voted Sportswoman of the Year by the BBC
Raducanu reached the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open last week – her first WTA 500 quarterfinal of her career – but lost in straight sets to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
However, it was a marked improvement from her difficult start to the year, in which she suffered multiple first-round eliminations against lower-ranked opponents and also had to deal with injuries.
“In the future, I’ll probably put a lot more emphasis on sparring,” added Raducanu.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear to me that the more time I spend on tour, the more I have to get used to the ball speed of these girls.
“I like to mix it up. I like to work very specifically and am very clear about what I want to work on. Most of the time these ideas come from myself.”
Raducanu meets Czech number 49 Tereza Martincova in the first round in Madrid on Friday.
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