Her season began with back spasms that forced her out of the Auckland WTA tournament a fortnight ago but she was pleased with her physical condition during the win over Alexandrova on a sunny Melbourne day.

“I think for me playing two sets [today] was good, but equally, I felt pretty fit out there,” Raducanu said. “Right now I feel good, as well, in my body. I think it’s just a testament to the work I’m starting to do off the court.”

The world No.61 talked enthusiastically in December about the difference Nakamura can make as they work to build a more resilient body.

“I think he is going to help me really explore how far I can go athletically,” Raducanu explained when she broke the news.

“It’s a big strength of mine that I have nowhere near fulfilled. I think I can become one of the best athletes out there in tennis and I’m just looking forward to seeing how much I can do.”

In the days leading up to the opening major of the year she said that there have already been improvements.

“I think having him in my camp has been a really good addition,” she confirmed during her pre-tournament media. “I think building a body, that’s a continuous process. I think it’s not something that you necessarily put a timeline on.

“I think I do already feel a difference when I step on the court. I feel like I’m quite reactive and explosive. I think that stems from my warm-ups being not necessarily warm-ups, but they’re more like a bit of a session. I feel just ready to go when I’m on the court.”

Raducanu will need to be firing early on Thursday when she returns to face Anisimova, a former Grand Slam semifinalist and a player who has reached the last 16 in Australia on three different occasions.