2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu working with childhood coach as she steps up Australian Open preparations

Emma Raducanu has been working with one of her childhood coaches ahead of her return to competitive tennis.

The 21-year old has received a wildcard to be part of a stacked field at the Auckland Open, which gets underway on January 1, two weeks before the start of the 2024 Australian Open.

It will be her first tournament since undergoing wrist surgery back in April, forcing her to sit out Wimbledon, as well as the French and US Opens.

And to ramp up preparations for Melbourne, she has teamed up with her old junior coach Nick Cavaday.

The pair have been working together at the Lawn Tennis Association’s National Tennis Centre in London.

Cavaday, 37, has previously served as coach to former British No. 2 Aljaz Bedene, as well as Dominic Inglot, who was part of the GB team that won the 2015 Davis Cup.

He initially linked up with Raducanu at the LTA’s High Performance Centre in Bromley during her junior days, but could now form part of her team in Australia next month.

Raducanu, meanwhile, has had a string of coaches since her astonishing 2021, which included a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon, before shocking the tennis world by winning the US Open.

Andrew Richardson was in her box at Flushing Meadows, but was soon replaced by Torben Beltz.

She has also worked with Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs, the latter of whom she parted ways with while injured in July.