Emma Raducanu began working with Yutaka Nakamura, the fitness trainer known for his work with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka.
The 22-year-old, who will fly to Brisbane next week for warm-weather training ahead of the new season, said Nakamura would be with her “almost most weeks” of the year.
Injuries have acted as a persistent handbrake on Raducanu’s career since she won the US Open as a teenager in 2021.
But after a trial run earlier this fall, she feels it’s a good time to add a dedicated fitness expert to her team.
“I think he’s going to help me really explore how far I can go, like athletically,” Raducanu said.
“I think it’s one of my great strengths that I’m far from being fully exploited. I think I can become one of the best athletes in tennis and I just can’t wait to see everything I can do .
“My natural athleticism is something I have to use. I have to refine it, I have to polish it, it’s still quite raw and I don’t think it’s fully developed, so he’s going to help me explore that. “
Nakamura trained all week with Raducanu and her coach Nick Cavaday at the National Tennis Center in London.
After Christmas in New Zealand, Raducanu will begin the season in Auckland at the end of December and also hopes to play in Adelaide before the start of the Australian Open on January 12.
