Tennis star Emma Raducanu has sought the advice of Harry Kane as she bids to recapture the stunning form that saw her capture the 2021 US Open.
In September last year, the 19-year-old pulled off arguably the most remarkable Grand Slam story of all time, sauntering through the qualifying rounds before reaching the final at Flushing Meadows without even dropping a set. There, she beat fellow teen Leylah Fernandez to become the first British woman to capture a Slam since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.
The victory elevated her to superstardom, and congratulatory messages came in from far and wide. She's struggled to hit the same heights in 2022, but has revealed that being mentored by the England captain has helped her amid her recent struggles for form and fitness, reports The Athletic.
“One of my favourite footballers is probably Harry Kane because he is the captain of England and he is such a great role model to follow," she told the Women’s Tennis Association this summer. "He is super professional and takes everything to the nth degree."
And Raducanu, whose season ended this year when she was forced to withdraw from the Billie Jean King Cup with injury, implied that she will benefit from an association with the 2018 World Cup golden boot winner: "I definitely feel like I can learn from that," she added.
Kane, who will lead his country into the next World Cup in Qatar this month, has certainly already had an impact on the star. She is now a Tottenham fan and earlier this year, was seen training in a Spurs kit in Stuttgart.
In July, Raducanu rose into the top 10 of the world despite a second round exit at SW19, but falling at the first hurdle in her US Open title defence saw her plummet down the rankings. She's now ranked at 76 as she builds towards the Australian Open in January.
She's recently enlisted the help of Andy Murray's former fitness coach Jez Green to oversee her training and recovery before a return to competitive action. And the former World No 1 believes the pair should undertake some significant work together if Raducanu is to deal with the rigours of the WTA Tour.
"I think with any coaching relationship, whether it's strength and conditioning or tennis, it's kind of making sure that you're spending enough time with that person to be able to really make a difference," Murray said. "I think sometimes unless you really dedicate the time to it is kind of difficult to make a difference."
