In her recent sky sports In her column, Gigi Salmon talks to Emma Raducanu of the National Tennis Center and her new strength and conditioning coach. She also discusses Raducanu’s Christmas plans and recalls a conversation with England No.1 Katie Boulter.
“I think I can be one of the best athletes in tennis.” You may have read Emma Raducanu’s words in several articles published about her in the past few days, including here. sky sports.
This quote comes from a gathering I was lucky enough to be invited to at the National Tennis Center in London late last week. A small group of British tennis media were invited to spend some informal time with Emma, which was her idea. So I made a quick phone call to make sure I could pick the kids up from school if I was going to be late. Stuck in traffic. (I ended up being picked up from school with 5 minutes to spare.) We set off for Roehampton.
Yutaka Nakamura (front center) most recently worked with former world number one and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Building relationships with the British press is important to Emma, and we realized very quickly that she could do the same as we learned more about her. She wants to know more about us and how we work.
Emma has a pre-season with a lot to look forward to ahead of the new campaign, a stable relationship with coach Nick Cavaday, whom she has known since she was nine and coached her from ages nine and 11, and a new addition to the team. Raducanu is Yutaka Nakamura, a renowned strength and conditioning coach.
During her greatest success, Nakamura toured with Maria Sharapova for seven years, most recently working with former world number one and Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, and with Kei Nishikori and Denis Shapovalov. I also worked with (Dennis Shapovalov).
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Laura Robson and Tim Henman discuss the impact of Raducanu’s new fitness trainer and how it could improve her physical resilience.
Excited about working with Raducanu
Raducanu hopes to become the best tennis player.
When we arrived at NTC, I was lucky enough to spend a few minutes with Yutaka. Yutaka’s passion for working with Emma was evident. He said that although they’re still just getting to know each other, he likes the vibe they already have, which Emma later echoed to us.
He said the timing was right, looking forward to exploring her potential, which he believes is limitless.
He will be a constant fixture on tour with her in 2025 and, in Emma’s words, ‘we are on the same wavelength.’ He will help me explore how far I can go athletically. I think I can be one of the best athletes in tennis.
Another thing that struck me and is very important when I think about being with that person or group every week is that he said, ‘He’s a lovely guy, he’s a really nice guy.’
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Raducanu looks back on his 2021 US Open win…
Another thing that stood out was when Emma was asked if anything special happened this year that made her realize something needed to change. It turned out it was a trip she took to visit her grandmother in China after a trip. Advances to the quarterfinals of the Korea Open.
Wondering what she wanted to do, she talked about exploring her creative side, playing the piano and painting, and said the key was to stay healthy and get someone on the road in the next year, which resulted in her meeting with Yutaka Nakamura. I have a week of testing at Wimbledon. .
Raducanu’s December kickoff will see her fly to Brisbane on Thursday for some warm weather training, where she will link up with good friend and fellow WTA player Priscilla Hon. After that, I’m heading to New Zealand to spend Christmas with my best friend’s family. Her favorite month would be the beach and barbecue on Christmas Day! And the season begins at the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland.
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Martina Navratilova believes Raducanu should take ownership of her tennis career…
Wolter will never be satisfied
Katie Boulter will represent England at the United Cup.
Although it all feels and sounds really positive, Emma said she doesn’t have any particular New Year’s resolutions. It’s clear that getting fit and staying fit is a big goal for 2025, and it’s a shared goal with British No.1 Katie Boulter, who I interviewed at the NTC earlier this week.
Katie finished the year with a career-high ranking, winning two titles, including her first time at the 500 level in San Diego this year. She said her biggest frustration this year was that she would never be satisfied. This is one of her driving forces.
Boulter will leave England a little later to stay in Europe and prepare to represent England in the United Cup. But she said she bought a Christmas tree with her partner Alex de Minaur and went to give him a taste of it. In celebration of Christmas in the UK, she will be spending the day with her family before she leaves and the season begins.
What’s happening on Sky Sports Tennis?
- United Cup with England – 27 December 2024 – 5 January 2025
- Brisbane International Airport (ATP 250) – 29 December 2024 – 5 January 2025
- ASB Classic, Auckland (WTA 250) – December 30, 2024 – January 5, 2025
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app. This will give Sky Sports customers access to over 50% more live sport at no extra cost this year. Find out more here.
