In a bid to improve herself physically, Raducanu has hired fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, and has also reunited with childhood coach Nick Cavaday ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year. And according to former Spanish professional Alex Corretja, the appointments will be critical to her bid to again compete with the world’s best.
“On the tour, one of the key things is to be good physically,” he told Express Sport. “Emma, she is such a talented girl, she knows the game very well, she knows how to play, but she needs to be very strong physically.
“There are some players maybe more powerful than her and taller than her. So the decision to bring in someone who can take you to the limit, to get you to your maximum….it’s very important for Emma to have someone there.
“A physical trainer is very important for her. As is a good coach. She needs to have a good team. When you are playing and under so much pressure, it’s not just about being good physically but also mentally.”
Corretja, a former two-time French Open finalist who will be working as an expert for Eurosport on their live coverage of the Australian Open, backed Raducanu to bounce back from a difficult three years since her incredible US Open win. “I think the amount of pressure on this little girl in the last couple of years, it would be overwhelming for anyone in the world,” he continued.
“So I’m not surprised by anything that’s happened to her. It all came too fast. She won the US Open, she already has a Slam under her belt, but she can still do good things in tennis. She’s a very nice girl and would be great to see her back at the top.”
However, the Spaniard also warned it would be “very, very difficult” for Raducanu to perform at her best at Melbourne Park given her lack of preparation. Having debuted in the tournament in 2022, the world No.56 has gone out at the second round stage in each of the last three years.
She admitted on Friday that her build-up to Monday’s match has been hampered after she was forced to seek medical treatment after being bitten by insects. However, despite an allergic reaction, Raducanu has declared herself “fine” to face 26th seed Alexandrova.
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