Emma Raducanu surprised the world in 2021 when she won the US Open. She came from the qualifiers and became the first player to win a grand slam in the entire history of tennis. Now, two years later, she is not the same but is striving to return to such a level. As she aims to win a slam again, Emma Raducanu reveals one of her biggest idols in the sport. 

As Raducanu looks to her role models to find inspiration, many in the world look at her as a role model. Not only did she win a slam at 18 years old, she is the sole player who won a slam from the qualifiers. 

Emma Raducanu names Chinese legend as her idol

The 21-year-old Briton had a tough year in 2023. After facing early exits from several tournaments, she was injured to the extent of missing out on the entire season in May. But, she has not lost hope for her career. She will come back to the ASB Classica and looks up to Li Na as her idol to play again. As she thinks of her idol, she also said it would’ve been great to play against her. 

In an interview with the Tatler, she said, “I would love to see the comparison between tennis maybe ten years ago and tennis now, because I think the game has moved on a lot.”

She cites the two-time grand slam champion, Li Na, as her tennis role model and an opponent she wishes she could have played. “I think I saw her so much growing up, and she’s been such an idol of mine that I would just love to be on the other side of it. She’s a really complete player and I would have loved to have a good battle against her.”

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Li Na won the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open, solidifying her name in the hearts of many. Like her, Raducanu has also found the favor of many. She lives on as a role model to thousands, including one British pop star.

Raducanu makes British singer a fan

After she won the 2021 US Open at the age of 18, Raducanu made millions of tennis fans her fans. Myleene Klass became one of her biggest fans and even used her as an example around her house. Her daughters loved her just as much, and whenever they would say they couldn’t do anything, Klass would tell them to ‘Raducanu it’, using her as a verb.

As Raducanu returns to tennis soon, she will look to become the player she was in 2021. She has shown that she has the potential to be a great tennis player. The question remains: when will she start her winning form?

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