💥 Read this trending post from BBC Sport 📖
📂 Category:
💡 Main takeaway:
Osaka, 28, is a four-time Slam winner, while Raducano, who recently turned 23, stunned the sporting world in 2021 when she triumphed at the US Open as a qualifier.
It was time for the pair to meet when they finally met at the Washington Open in July.
Raducano was dominant that day over the former world number one, winning 6-4, 6-2 to achieve one of her best results this year.
Before that match, Osaka said of Raducano: “For me, she’s the queen, like there’s a royal air about her.
“I feel like whenever I see her or Serena, my inner child comes out, because they are my favorite players to watch.”
It emerged that week that the pair were strangers to each other on a personal level, and had never had a conversation.
On the pitch, Raducanu’s game was full of talk.
“I watched it at Wimbledon, but I think playing with someone in real life is different from playing with them or seeing them on TV,” Osaka said after her defeat.
“It was really good to get the experience, to feel what her ball is like. I hope I can play with her again one day.”
Raducanu’s ruling was a source of great satisfaction, as she said: “I quite like this type of match where you play a great opponent, and a lot of people are watching the match, and they are interested in it. I’m happy with the way I was able to beat the four-time Slam champion.”
Tennis made both players rich and famous, but they – perhaps more than most players in the sport – struggled off the court.
They both faced a downside to their situation, as Raducanu was tracked by a stalker, While Osaka has struggled at times with her mental health and took a break from the sport after losing early at the 2021 US Open, the event that marked Raducano’s breakthrough.
💬 What do you think?
#️⃣ #Emma #Raducano #Naomi #Osaka #United #Cup #match #whets #appetite #WTA #tennis
