Kerber seeking to recapture top form with Beltz

Angelique Kerber has announced that she has teamed up with coach Torben Beltz again after splitting with him in 2017.

It will be her third spell with Beltz at her side, having worked with him from 2004-2013 as a youth and then again from 2014-2017.

During her previous stint under his guidance, she enjoyed the best season of her career to date in 2016 as she picked up major victories at the Australian Open and the US Open, while she also made WTA World No.1 for the first time.

A statement issued by the Kerber camp reads: “The new coach is an old acquaintance, Torben Beltz, who was with Angelique Kerber in 2016 as she won two Grand Slams and was the year-end No.1 in the world rankings, thus far the most successful year of her career.”

Keber has tried three different coaches since Beltz’s departure, first going with Wim Fissette, who helped her to win Wimbledon, and then Rainer Schuttler and Dieter Kindlmann.

She is currently World No.21, having played only three events this year. After losing out in the first round of Brisbane to Samantha Stosur, she was beaten by Dayana Yastremska in the second round of Adelaide before making the last-16 at the Australian Open, where she was beaten by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Beltz, meanwhile, was in Donna Vekic’s camp as the Croat enjoyed a career-high ranking of World No.19.