Emma Raducanu will fly Down Under on Friday (Dec 20) to start her Australian Open preparations pledging to say no and play more in 2025. And the Bromley-based star, 22, believes she is now finally fit and ready to “fulfill my potential”
The 2021 US Open champion has suffered three challenging years since her shock New York win as a teenager
She has been dogged by fitness issues and faced criticism for spending too much off-court time on her lucrative endorsement deals. So to prepare for her new campaign which starts at the Auckland Open on December 30, Raducanu has appointed Yutaka Nakamura as her first full-time physical trainer on tour. And she is keen to limit non-tennis distractions and focus on her career.
“I’m obviously very grateful and fortunate to have had certain experiences and opportunities but I wasn’t prepared for the other things that inevitably do take some energy out of you,” she admitted.
“I think I’ve learned how to say no a bit more. Initially I felt really bad for letting people down. I’d always want to do extra for whatever partner or magazine or whatever I’m shooting for. I’d always want to do extra if they wanted to do another half day. I would do it and I’d fit it in around my schedule.
« I would put my practices early and then do that in the afternoon. I’m always going to try and do my best to give extra to the brands I’m working with. Especially since I had a year off pretty much with injuries. But also just putting myself first a little bit more.”
Nakamura, who previously worked with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka, will aim to give the world No.57 the physical resilience to play a full WTA season. She played only 34 matches last season.
“I want to play more than I did this year,” she said. “And I appointed Yutaka because I really wanted to spend more time and energy on my fitness.
“I think now with my setup, I’m in a place where I can continue work on the road. With my tennis, I’m in a pretty good spot. I feel like I just want to see how much I can do, fulfill my potential. I’m curious about what my level can get to. I really want to play more. And I think a big part of that is just staying healthy.”
While injured, Raducanu had a period of reflection – and spent time painting and playing the piano – while visiting her grandmother in China
“I’d say that was a bit of a turning point where I was just like: ‘Okay, next year, what do I want for myself?’”
And that included setting herself new goals after any player’s lifetime ambition at the age of 18. “When I first started, before I won the US Open, my main reason was: ‘I want to win a Grand Slam.’ And that happens so young. I’m so grateful for it.
« But as soon as that happens, I’m like, ‘okay, well, what now? I want to win another Grand Slam.’ It’s just not sustainable. Because when you don’t win another Grand Slam straightaway, you get frustrated with that. Now, the reason I play is genuine. I really enjoy what I’m doing, how I’m working, the people I’m working with. And I just want to see how good I can be. I really want to see how fast I can be. How fit I can be.
“It’s literally just about playing it like a game. Seeing how far I can go. That for me is really sustainable. Because there’s no result on it. I genuinely don’t have a goal. It’s more about enjoying what I am doing, collecting these good days of work, just seeing how far it can go.”
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