Beltz, 25 years Raducanu’s senior, brings a vital bout experience that the US Open champion needs to further her game
Perhaps just as importantly, he comes across as both a pleasant and reassuring individual; one who will provide a key pillar of support during a tricky year
Unlike the majority of coaches, Beltz has a playing record that is almost non-existent
His only two listed matches were first-round losses
Despite this, Beltz has had a keen analytical eye from a young age, picking up his first German coaching badge when he was 16
It’s also hard to find anyone on tour with a bad word to say of Beltz. He is renowned for his positive mindset and penchant for fun both on and off the court
Beltz and Raducanu will start working together in early December as part of a four-week training block ahead of the new season
Another key figure during this period will be Gareth Shelbourne, the fitness trainer who started working with Raducanu when she was 12
Shelbourne had her hip thrusting 200kg — more than double the average for a female — in the gym by the time she was 16, and Raducanu has already made it known that she is eager to improve her stamina
Beltz will focus more on the technical side. Raducanu’s serve, for example, is placed well but would benefit with a little more power
At the US Open this year, her top speed of 110mph was 12mph slower than 17-year-old Coco Gauff’s best effort
Raducanu, who was ranked No.338 at the start of this summer, has essentially skipped the apprenticeship that many other champions benefited from. Until the grass-court season next June, every tournament she plays will be a first
She has never played a professional match on clay
Hiring Beltz is therefore a shrewd move by Raducanu, but it is unlikely to mean a sudden return to the dominance we saw at the US Open
Patience will be required as both player and coach find their feet in this new partnership
It is unrealistic anyway at present to expect Raducanu to sweep all before her. Even Serena Williams took time to build on her status as a grand-slam champion, winning her second major trophy two years and nine months after her first
Neither is it reasonable to dismiss Raducanu as a potential one-slam wonder based on her recent form
With Beltz now on board, this special talent can go on to add more prestigious silverware to her collection
Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, has been injured in a shooting and taken to hospital, according to local reports ⬇️ thetimes.co.uk/article/slovak…
🔺 UPDATE: Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, is in a life-threatening condition after being shot in the street ⬇️
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: The police investigation into Angela Rayner is examining multiple allegations and is not merely limited to potential electoral law offences ⬇️ thetimes.co.uk/article/angela…
At least a dozen officers at Greater Manchester police are investigating the Labour deputy leader over where she lived in the 2010s and the sale of her former council house in Stockport
They are examining tax matters and other issues on top of the question of whether Rayner gave false information for the electoral register when she lived between two former council houses in Stockport in the 2010s
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: top universities recruit foreign students on low grades
Young Britons need straight As to get into Russell Group institutes. But their international classmates may have bought their way in through secret routes thetimes.co.uk/article/cash-f…
Foreign students can buy their way on to highly competitive degree courses with as little as a handful of C grades at GCSE. The courses require British students to have A or A* grades at A-level
Representatives of the elite Russell Group universities were secretly filmed discussing the “back door” routes used to recruit overseas students, who pay much higher fees than their UK counterparts
Ukrainians are resorting to extreme lengths to flee the war as Zelensky wants to lower that age of conscription to 25 as casualties mount in the war with Russia ⬇️ thetimes.co.uk/article/ukrain…
More than 17,100 Ukrainians have been detained by the DPSU trying to leave the country illegally since the Russian invasion thetimes.co.uk/article/ukrain…
Those numbers look set to climb as a contentious new bill seeks to mobilise another 500,000 men for military service
🔷 Could the China outbreak be the start of a new pandemic?
The simple answer is, almost certainly not — but we don’t know for sure
This is how the first days of a new pandemic would look, and the World Health Organisation has already made a request to China for more information on “clusters of pneumonia in children”
In the next few days, 29 motorists will receive warning letters from police reprimanding them for exceeding the speed limit on the cramped streets of a Cornish village
Despite being accused of breaking the law — one of the cars was logged doing 36mph in a 20mph limit — these drivers will not be fined, will receive no points on their licences, and will not be asked to attend a driver awareness course