Emma Raducanu’s Porsche partnership pays off with Stuttgart wildcard
Emma Raducanu will reap a secondary benefit to her commercial partnership with Porsche with a wildcard entry into teh WTA 500 event in Stuttgart.
Raducanu is a Porsche Brand Ambassador and has featured in promotional material for the German motor manufacturer.
The Porsche Grand Prix is a favourite stop on the WTA Tour for many players and competition for places in the 32-player main draw is always fierce.
Raducanu’s current ranking doesn’t get her anywhere near having a shot at direct entry into the main draw, as such the wildcard she has been handed is a real coup for the 2021 US Open champion.
The 20-year-old is also keen to pay a visit to her sponsors for a test drive or two while she is in Stuttgart.
‟Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is one of the best tournaments on the calendar,” Raducanu said as she accepted the wildcard entry.
“The Porsche Arena’s Centre Court is brilliant. I’m also looking forward to a drive or two in a Porsche sports car and experiencing more of the brand, like visiting the factory.”
The winner of the 46th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix will receive a Neptune blue Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo alons with their cash prize.
With nine of the world’s top ten players set to turn out in Stuttgart, Raducanu will be a rank outsider.
However, there is some belief in her game on clay, and she could cause a few upsets.
Former British No 1 Laura Robson believes Raducanu could be a force on clay.
“Emma’s level is there for sure,” Robson told Eurosport.
“She hits the ball just as well as any of the top players on tour.
“But it’s just finding the right balance on the training side of things, on the match court and tournament schedule side of things to make it work for the body because everyone is different, everyone requires different amount of matches as well.
“I think if she’s just able to get another couple of consistent weeks under her belt, then the belief will come and you start to trust your body a bit more and you start to then not worry about some small injuries because it’s just part of being a tennis player.
“I can’t think of anyone on tour who ever feels 100% healthy all the time, so Emma’s just seeming to find that balance at the moment.
“She’s been on a practice court in the UK at Wimbledon and looks good, she looks really good.”
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix gets underway on 15 April 2023.
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