Emma Raducanu in talks with old Maria Sharapova ally to revive her car | Tennis | Sport
Emma Raducanu claimed she is “ready to commit” to reaching her full physical potential before kickstarting her 2025 season at the Billie Jean King Cup in Spain today.
The British No.2, who has been dogged by injury problems since her 2021 US Open triumph, confirmed she is “in discussions” with Maria Sharapova’s former fitness trainer.
The Bromley-based star has climbed back up the rankings under her childhood coach Nick Cavaday but has played only three events since Wimbledon.
And she is set to return to action in the first round tie against Germany with a “peaceful and zen mindset” after two months out with a foot injury.
Raducanu played only nine matches until April last year before she underwent wrist and ankle surgeries. That is when she split with former coach Sebastian Sachs and now relies on Cavaday and her other childhood mentor Jane O’Donaghue.
Asked about appointing Japan’s Yutaka Nakamura, Raducanu said: “We are having discussions. Yeah, we’ll see. I’m looking forward to 2025 regardless.
“I don’t think bringing someone else in necessarily makes the team large. I think my goal next year is to stay on court longer. This year, I mean, I came into top 60 in the world, but I played I think less than 15 events.
“I know if I’m on court and healthy and competing, I can go even higher and further. I think that my athleticism is a strength of mine, but it’s nowhere near its full potential. I’m just looking forward to explore that further, and yeah, ready to commit to doing that.”
Raducanu’s last match was her quarter-final defeat to Daria Kasatkina in the Korean Open in September when she suffered a foot injury. And the Mandarin-speaking star spent some of the time with her grandmother in Shenyang.
“Joining up with Great Britain here was a great motivation for my return to fitness,” she said. “I think when I got injured in Korea, I didn’t know how bad it was initially. I actually did it in my second round there and managed to finish the match.
“But I ended up not playing for about four, five weeks after that. Yeah, I think the last three weeks has been a gradual buildup and return to play. I have done some really good work. I’m feeling good about my game in a place that I can try and compete and give everything on the match court, but it is quite different.
“But I think in the meantime, with the time off, I was just trying to develop myself in other ways and doing other hobbies. I spent some time in China to see my grandma.
“I did a lot of reading, picked the piano back up. I feel like whenever I’m with my grandma over there, yeah, it’s a bit of a retreat for me and very far and opposite from what I usually do. I was very grateful for that opportunity, because I don’t get to see her very often.
“Yeah, I came back I think in quite a peaceful and zen mindset. Yeah, I’m just looking forward to competing here this week and taking however this goes and improving on it for next year.
“I feel like this is the beginning of my 2025 season now. While it’s the end of the season for a lot of players, I feel I’m just beginning to kick-start and get things in motion, training really well, training hard, and already building towards next year. I’m not really looking to have any more time off. Because of my injury, already had quite a bit.
“But yeah, otherwise it’s just been full focus on trying to get healthy for this tournament. I know how hard we all fought in April to qualify for this, and yeah, I really wanted to be able to play here in the Finals.”
World No.12 Great Britain face world No.8 Germany on Friday with the winners facing defending champions Canada in the last eight on Sunday. In-form world No.24 Katie Boulter will play German No.1 Laura Siegemund while Raducanu is then likely to be picked to play world No.92 Jule Niemeier.
Raducanu, then ranked world No.302, won both of her singles matches against France in April to lead Great Britain back to the finals after they failed to qualify last year.
Captain Anne Keothavong can then choose between Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls in the doubles.
