Emma Raducanu insists she is now ready to “commit” to her fitness after spending five weeks away from tennis with injury, connecting with family and rediscovering former hobbies.
Following a respectable season where Raducanu lifted her ranking from No 301 on January 1 to No 58, she will return to court for the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga where she will be part of Team Great Britain.
Her season has been plagued with injuries, most recently sprained foot ligaments that forced her to abandon plans for a four-tournament stint in Asia, as she was only able to compete in one.
Telegraph Sport revealed Raducanu, who turned 22 on Wednesday, has been in discussions with Maria Sharapova’s former fitness trainer Yukata Nakamura, which was then confirmed by the former US Open winner.
Despite being previously unwilling to expand her notoriously small and close-knit team, it is something she has considered to improve her longevity on court.
‘My goal next year is to stay on court longer’
“I think my goal next year is to stay on court longer. This year I came in the top 60 in the world, but I barely played, I think, less than 15 events,” Raducanu said.
“So I know if I am 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.”
Much of Raducanu’s time in 2024 was spent away from the tennis court, with injuries affecting her build up to the US Open, and the Asia season. But interspersed with those forced time away from the sport, she chose not to play in the Olympics, or take part in qualification for Roland Garros, and has only played three tournaments since Wimbledon.
But that time off has been valuable, according to Raducanu, who insists she is ready to compete and “feels good about her game” ahead of the first Billie Jean King Cup finals Great Britain have qualified for since the tournament on home soil in 2022.
‘I spent some time in China to see my grandma’
“In the meantime, with the time off, I was just trying to develop myself in other ways and doing other hobbies,” she explained. “I spent some time in China to see my grandma.”
She adds: “In my time off, I did a lot of reading, picked the piano back up. I feel like whenever I’m with my grandma over there, 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.
“I came back in quite a peaceful and zen mindset.”
The build up to the Billie Jean King Cup however has been anything but calm. The red alert for rain was only lifted at 8am on the Thursday, while Raducanu had to spend her 22nd birthday inside the hotel with team-mates as the rain fell, causing floods around the city. The river near the venue in Malaga burst its banks, spilling over onto the airport runway and streets in the city turned into rivers.
The six-strong team (including captain Anne Keothavong) appeared in their hotel in jovial spirits after celebrating Raducanu’s birthday. Their time was spent doing yoga and core sessions, eating chocolate cake, with balloons and birthday banners after training was cancelled.
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