WATCH: Emma Raducanu told to ‘practice more’ by young fan in hilarious LTA video
Emma Raducanu missed Wimbledon this year due to wrist and ankle injuries and she used her spare time to surprise unsuspecting kids at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in London in a brilliant new YouTube video.
The 2021 US Open champion confirmed she loves dropping in on kids when they least expect it and some of the responses coming her way were predictably hilarious.
Putting young kids on camera and letting them say whatever comes into their mind is always a dangerous game, but the LTA carried off this YouTube video in classy fashion with the help of a smiling star performer.
Raducanu has not always looked at ease in front of the cameras over the last year, as she has struggled to find her form and fitness prior to undergoing surgery in a bid to end her injury problems.
Yet she was joyously at ease with young fans, who looked shocked to see her sitting next to them as she emerged from behind a screen.
Raducanu was quizzed with some pressing questions looking back on her rapid rise to the top, as she revealed she didn’t play too much when she started out in the sport.
Emma was confronted with an especially feisty comment from one of her young inquisitors, who suggested she needed to “practice more” as he claimed he spent more time on court than she did.
Then young Leo made it clear that he was not interested in having a photograph with Raducanu, much to her delight.
“Leo was such a legend,” she said with a smile. “He just couldn’t care less and that was fun.”
Now the young fans who met Raducanu will be hoping to see her back on court in 2023.
Tennis legend John McEnroe is among those doubting whether the Brit will be back in competitive action this year, as he told Tennis365 that she should strive to kick on after her injury woes.
“Emma doesn’t want to be like that one-hit wonder type of thing, she wants to show what she is made of,” he said.
“She is young enough to be able to come back obviously and you want her to be able to. You’re pulling for her. You can feel the stress she has been under, even when she played the match against Wimbledon [in 2021] that she didn’t come out on the court in the fourth round.
“It would be a shame if she wasn’t around. I absolutely hope she comes back and it will be a road back. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know when she is even scheduled to be back, it sounds like it is not until the end of the year at least I guess.
“It would be nice to have her in the mix.”
READ MORE: John McEnroe on what comes next for Emma Raducanu
