Emma Raducanu's decision to split from coach Torben Beltz has sparked debate within the tennis community.

The 19-year-old has parted ways with the German after just five months and is now searching for her fourth mentor in less than a year.

Former tennis professional Barry Cowan has expressed his concerns over the US Open champion's current situation.

"Anyone who is not involved in the sport would think that’s a bit strange, she’s looking for a new coach," the Brit told Sky Sports. "Most importantly, whoever she hires next, this really does need to be someone who is with her for a long period of time because you can’t keep changing coach.

"You can maybe get away with it once or twice but you can’t keep changing coaches every four or five months and think long term that’s going to be a benefit."

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 11: Emma Raducanu of Great Britain plays a forehand against Caroline Garcia of France in their second round match on Day 5 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2022 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

When Raducanu made her WTA Tour debut in June 2021, she had recently appointed Anett Kontaveit's former coach Nigel Sears, but replaced him with Andrew Richardson after reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Under Richardson, the teenager defied all the odds and stormed to a remarkable, history-making US Open title win. Raducanu did not drop a single set during her run at Flushing Meadows and became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title.

Following her triumph, she soared through the world rankings and attracted attention from high profile brands looking to work with her. Her impressive partnership portfolio includes Dior, Evian, and Porsche.

Emma Raducanu of Great Britain in action against Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic during day two of the Billie Jean King Cup Play-Off match between the Czech Republic and Great Britain at the Tennis Club 1. CLTK Prague on April 16, 2022 in Prague, Czech Republic. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

However, despite achieving the unimaginable while in New York, Raducanu decided not to renew Richardson's contract just two weeks after returning from the US Open. Her thought process was that she wanted to move forward with a coach who had WTA Tour experience, to give herself the best possible chance at success in 2022.

After a short stint being guided by the LTA’s head of women’s coaching Iain Bates,  but with no official mentor, Raducanu welcomed Torben Beltz to the team.

This partnership looked as though it could be a turning point for the British number one, who had struggled to recreate her US Open form. However, since returning from her maiden Grand Slam win, Raducanu has failed to make it past the quarter-finals of a tournament, and since the new year, she has won just four matches across six competitions.

She has now opted to split from Beltz after just five months, stating: "I feel the best direction for my development is to transition to a new training model with the LTA supporting in the interim."

Amid her dip in form, a number of former professionals have questioned Raducanu's commitment to tennis and have speculated over whether her new business endeavours have taken her focus away from the court.

While she has shut down talks of not taking her tennis seriously, her coaching decisions have left a lot of questions requiring answers.

"That’s kind of been the theme with Emma since Wimbledon," Cowan said of her pattern of switching mentors every few months. "I think it’s a worry.

"I have consistently said that what I’ve felt Emma needs is someone in her corner consistently. She is not able to have that.

"Moving forward it will be interesting to see who she works with. At this stage of any player’s career they are the most important years and the years when you need a consistent voice off the court and also on the court. Emma is not going to have that at the moment because she is looking for a new coach."