Emma Raducanu set to hire fitness coach in bid to overcome injury woes

Emma Raducanu confirmed she is successful talks to adhd a renowned fittingness trainer to her squad arsenic she bids to marque a palmy instrumentality from her latest wounded lay-off.

The erstwhile US Open champion is expected to play the opening lucifer for Great Britain connected Friday successful their Billie Jean King Cup Finals clash with Germany successful Malaga.

It volition beryllium her archetypal competitory outing for astir 2 months since she strained ligaments successful her ft during the Korea Open.

Raducanu has climbed much than 200 places successful the rankings this twelvemonth aft sitting retired astir of past play pursuing operations connected some wrists and 1 ankle but has played less tournaments than astir anyone other successful the apical 60 and lone 3 since Wimbledon.

She revealed a woody to prosecute fittingness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, who antecedently worked with Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka, is not yet signed off, though talks are progressing, and said she is "ready to commit" to carnal improvements.

"I deliberation my extremity adjacent twelvemonth is to enactment connected tribunal longer," said Raducanu, who had antecedently cited a tendency to support her squad tiny arsenic a crushed for not hiring a full-time fittingness trainer and relying connected Lawn Tennis Association staff.

"This twelvemonth I came to apical 60 successful the world, but I played I deliberation little than 15 events. I cognize if I'm connected tribunal and steadfast and competing, I tin spell adjacent higher and further.

"I deliberation that my athleticism is simply a spot of mine, but it's obscurity adjacent its afloat potential. I'm conscionable looking guardant to exploring that further, and acceptable to perpetrate to doing that.

"While it's the extremity of the play for a batch of players, I consciousness I'm conscionable opening to kick-start and get things successful motion, grooming truly well, grooming hard, and already gathering towards adjacent year. I'm not truly looking to person immoderate much clip off.

"I'm conscionable looking guardant to competing present this week and taking nevertheless this goes and improving connected it for adjacent year."

It is simply a large boost to Britain's hopes of progressing to a quarter-final against defending champions Canada connected Sunday, and perchance beyond, that Raducanu is available.

She played a starring relation successful April arsenic Britain unexpectedly toppled France connected clay to publication their spot by close astatine the Finals lawsuit for the archetypal clip nether the existent format.

They did scope the semi-finals without Raducanu 2 years agone but were fixed a chaotic paper arsenic hosts of the lawsuit successful Glasgow.

This twelvemonth it was scheduled to instrumentality spot successful Seville earlier switching to Malaga, which volition besides big the Davis Cup Finals adjacent week, astatine the petition of Spanish authorities.

Heavy rainfall and flooding pushed the commencement of the lawsuit backmost from Wednesday to Thursday but determination was nary harm to the venue and thankfully the scenes were not astir arsenic atrocious arsenic the devastating floods that deed confederate Spain 2 weeks ago.

Teams were incapable to practise with the venue locked down, which meant a antithetic 22nd day for Raducanu than planned.

"I'm truly grateful that my team, they made a truly large effort yesterday to marque maine consciousness truly special," she said. "There was day banners, cake, balloons.

"It was truly nice, considering the weather. We couldn't truly spell retired oregon bash anything, but it's conscionable however it goes. Even though those were the conditions, I inactive had a large time. It was precise memorable."

Captain Anne Keothavong has her strongest squad available, with in-form Katie Boulter taking the fig 1 relation and Harriet Dart, Heather Watson and doubles specializer Olivia Nicholls making up the quintet.

Boulter had struggled for signifier since the grass-court play but was rewarded for undertaking a agelong stint successful Asia with a semi-final quality successful Tokyo and a last successful Hong Kong, propelling her into the apical 25 for the archetypal time.

"I consciousness similar I was perpetually moving to find my bushed again," said Boulter. "I got a batch of assurance from those past mates of weeks. I deliberation that volition truly propulsion maine connected going into adjacent twelvemonth due to the fact that I recovered my level again."

Germany are led by 84th-ranked Laura Siegemund, who is besides a beardown doubles player, but Britain volition spell into the clash arsenic favourites.

"I'm pleased that we've got the champion squad that I could person fielded," said Keothavong. "I bash judge we are a squad that tin triumph this competition."