Having clinched the initial match victory of the current competition at 12:15 local time, Raducanu returned to the training grounds around 14:00.
Her new instructor, Francisco Roig, who committed to joining Raducanu’s staff earlier this month, concentrated on her forehand returns from the baseline during a relaxed session that lasted approximately half an hour.
Roig has emerged as a prominent and audible figure in her courtside box – although minimal guidance or intervention was necessary against world number 130 Shibahara.
However, with the match unfolding in a bustling Louis Armstrong Stadium, Raducanu stated that it would not have made a difference even if the Spaniard had attempted to convey instructions.
“You don’t really catch it unless you’re essentially lip-reading,” she elaborated.
“I likely don’t absorb much of what he’s communicating, but when I sense that I genuinely require it, I will approach him.
“For the most part, particularly during a match like today, I felt like I had the majority of things under control on my side of the court.”
Despite collaborating for only a few weeks, the duo seemed to have connected well.
Extended car rides to the Cincinnati Open, with Roig taking responsibility for driving, strengthened their connection, and he has since commenced teaching Raducanu some Spanish.
“If anyone inquires whether I can utter something in Spanish, I just spontaneously produce some verb conjugations,” she quipped.
“It’s not precisely the most effective conversation starter, but I’m progressing.”
Chiropractor Jerome Poupel, a Frenchman residing in London, offers another viewpoint within Raducanu’s revamped team – alongside a distinctive background.
Poupel has previously collaborated with former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard and racing icon AP McCoy, in addition to treating horses.
“I don’t really know what he does with horses – I don’t pose questions! It simply seems to be effective on them,” Raducanu mentioned.
“I am a horse according to my horoscope, so I’m unsure if that bears any correlation.”
