Emma Raducanu has begun working with Yutaka Nakamura, a fitness instructor known for his partnership with Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova.
The athlete is scheduled to travel to Brisbane next week for some warm weather training before the start of the new playing season, and Nakamura will be with her most weeks of the year.
Speaking of Nakamura, Raducanu said: “I think he is going to help me just really explore how far I can go, like athletically.”
Ever since Raducanu’s 2021 victory at the US Open, injuries have been a constant hindrance to her career. Due to this, she believes that it is now time to have a committed fitness specialist on her team.
The athlete declared: “I think it’s a big strength of mine that I have nowhere near fulfilled. I think I can become one of the best athletes out there in tennis and I’m just looking forward to seeing how much I can do.”
She added: “My natural athleticism is something that I have to use. I have to hone it, I have to polish it, it’s still pretty raw and I don’t think anywhere near fully developed so he’s going to help me explore that.”
Recently, Nakamura has been working at the National Tennis Centre in London alongside Raducanu and her coach, Nick Cavaday. Raducanu, 22, will begin the season in Auckland at the end of December following Christmas in New Zealand. She also intends to play in Adelaide prior to the start of the Australian Open on January 12.
Source: BBC