Laura Robson defends leaving coach days before Wimbledon

Laura Robson has defended her decision to part ways with coach Patrick Mouratoglou less than a week before the start of Wimbledon.

Mouratoglou's six-month spell as Robson's coach came to an end when the 17-year-old announced the pair had split by "mutual agreement". Robson has endured a troubled time under the Frenchman's stewardship, slipping to 257th in the rankings following his appointment in December.

The decision leaves the Londoner's preparations for next week's championships in disarray, with a permanent successor to Mouratoglou not due to be installed until after the championships at the All England Club. The youngster, who won the junior Wimbledon title three years ago, insists that she made the right decision, stating that both parties thought it was the right time to go their separate ways.

She said: "We are parting ways by mutual agreement and I really appreciate all that Patrick and his team have done for me. We both felt the time was right to make a change." Robson appointed Mouratoglou in December after she left Martijn Bok.

Her last appearance with the Frenchman, who runs the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy near Paris, was on Monday when she served 13 double faults on the way to losing in the first round of the Unicef Open in Holland.

Robson does not plan to start searching for a successor until after Wimbledon, where she has a wildcard entry, but she was seen training with Greg Rusedksi's former coach Sven Groeneveld, according to Judy Murray.

"Looks like she (Robson] may be tapping in to the adidas player programme in the meantime. On court with the great Sven Groenveld (sic]," Andy Murray's mother Tweeted yesterday.