Kontaveit hires Raducanu And Kerber's Former Coach ahead of Wimbledon
WTA
Anett Kontaveit's two-week wait for a new coach is over after hiring a man who has worked with Emma Raducanu and Angelique Kerber.
The Estonian surprised the tennis world by ending her partnership with Dimitry Tusrusnov earlier this month. They had enjoyed some good results together this year, meaning no fan expected the news.
Kontaveit's most significant achievement this year with Tursunov as her coach was securing the Saint Petersburg Open title in February. She won a thrilling final against Maria Sakkari 5-7, 7-6, 7-5.
The 26-year-old also had a great run in Doha. Her route to the final in Qatar included victories against Ons Jabeur and Jelena Ostapenko. However, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek proved too good in the final.
Kontaveit lost in the opening round of the Italian and French Opens. Her defeat at Roland-Garros turned out to be Kontaveit's final match with Tursunov as her coach. Those two losses did not lessen the shock when the pair split.
However, that is Kontaveit's decision, and she has confirmed she will begin working with the well-known and respected German coach Torben Beltz immediately in a move that will excite her fans.
Beltz is best known for his successful stint with Angelique Kerber. The German won all three of her Grand Slam titles working alongside Beltz and claimed a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Emma Raducanu also worked with Beltz in November 2021 after her US Open triumph, but that collaboration was not as successful. After five months together, Raducanu announced her departure from Beltz.
Still, Beltz's period with Kerber proved what he can do when he works with a player long-term. Although Tursunov did a good job with Kontaveit, the Estonian will be hopeful of pushing on and achieving great things with Beltz by her side.
