British tennis star Emma Raducanu is reportedly finding it difficult to hire a new coach as the candidates want too much money.
The 18-year-old rocketed to international stardom after winning the US Open last month, defeating Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
She became the first ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam, and the first British woman to triumph at a Grand Slam in 44 years.
Following her improbable US Open success, Raducanu parted ways with her coach Andrew Richardson.
A former Davis Cup player, Richardson coached Raducanu for two years at youth level. He linked up with the teenage sensation again in July on a short-term deal which covered the US Open.
Prior to Richardson, Raducanu had been coached for three years by Nigel Sears, who stepped aside after she reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
After parting with Richardson, Raducanu revealed she was looking for a coach with WTA experience, but said she would not come to a decision until the end of the season.
According to The Mail on Sunday’s Mike Dickson, a stumbling block in the hunt for a new coach has been the amount of money demanded from the candidates.
"According to a well-placed source, one of the issues that has arisen in the search for a new coach is the amount of money potential candidates are asking for," Dickson wrote.
"They are looking at the high expectations for a player in an environment which can see anyone beat anyone. Few jobs in the sport will come with more scrutiny to deal with."
Raducanu has been linked with Ashleigh Barty’s former coach Darren Cahill and Johanna Konta’s former coach Esteban Carril.
Maria Sharapova’s former mentor Michael Joyce recently warned whoever was picked to next coach Raducanu would be faced with a tough challenge.
"She’s a great player but it’s going to be a tough job for the next coach, as expectations are high," he said. "If she goes to the Australian Open next year and goes out early, people will say it’s because of the coach.
"I’d known Maria for quite a long time before coaching her, as I was her hitting partner. We got to know each other, we were on a journey.
"It’s a tough one for whoever comes in and works with Emma as they won’t have that relationship and they will be under a lot of scrutiny."
Raducanu recently crashed out of Indian Wells in the first round, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
She then withdrew from this week’s Kremlin Cup in Moscow, citing a "tournament schedule change", but she is set to play at the Transylvania Open in Romania later this month.
Raducanu is still hoping to compete at the WTA Finals in November, but if she fails to qualify, has signed up to play at the Upper Austria Ladies tournament in Linz.