Emma Raducanu wants to improve physically next year, and she hopes to hire Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova's former fitness trainer to do that.
Several injury issues have disrupted Raducanu's chances of building on her historic run to the 2021 US Open title as a qualifier. She has not been able to consistently play matches and avoid physical problems.
One example was at the 2023 ASB Classic. Raducanu slammed the tournament for poor organization and for having slippery courts after sustaining an injury, feeling things could have been done better to avoid problems.
However, that incident did not stop Raducanu from committing to playing at the tournament in Auckland this year. She may have been influenced by the happier memories of returning from a very severe injury at the 2024 ASB Classic.
Raducanu could not play for nine months in 2023 due to wrist and ankle injuries, both of which required surgery. The 22-year-old recently admitted to making those issues worse by trying to return too soon before eventually coming back in January at the ASB Classic.
After mixed results this year, Raducanu sustained another injury at September's Korea Open. She retired after just 31 minutes against Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinal in Seoul after spraining ligaments in her foot.
Because of that injury, the Briton was absent for the rest of the Asian swing. Raducanu looked likely to miss the rest of 2024 and focus instead on preparing as well as possible for the 2025 season.
However, to Raducanu's credit, she worked hard to get herself fit for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga. She will represent Team Great Britain against Spain in the opening round on Thursday.
Although Raducanu showed determination to return before 2024 ended, she is also making plans for 2025. The 22-year-old hopes to hire Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova's fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura.
She would be hiring one of the most respected fitness trainers in tennis if a deal can be agreed since Nakamura has worked successfully with several players. Speaking to Sky Sports, Raducanu confirmed ongoing talks and outlined why she wants to hire Nakamura.
"I think my goal next year is to stay on court longer. This year I came to 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 exploring that further, and ready to commit to doing that."
"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."
Raducanu had chosen to work without a full-time fitness trainer because she wanted to keep her team small. The former US Open champion has wisely decided to abandon that approach and hire an experienced professional to help her athleticism and avoid more injuries.