Simona Halep Reacts on Being Called ‘Hero’ by Emma Raducanu Post US Open 2021 Victory

Teenage talent named Emma Raducanu shot to the headlines after she clinched the US Open title last month. She defeated another prodigy, Leylah Fernandez in the final. Naturally, people were eager to know which event Raducanu was going to play next.

The Brit was all over the news when she decided to discontinue her partnership with coach Andrew Richardson, under whom she won her first grand slam event as a qualifier.

In addition to the traction, Raducanu’s opening round exit at the Indian Wells event also gave rise to speculations concerning her game. After the BNP Paribas Open, the Brit chose to play a tournament in Romania.

Simona Halep reacts after Emma Raducanu calls her an inspiration post US Open victory

Former World No.1 and two-time major champion Simona Halep, who is also scheduled to play the Transylvania open in Romania, joins Raducanu in the title hunt.

Ahead of the tournament, Halep spoke to reporters over Raducanu’s rise to fame at the US Open. The Romanian was grateful that Emma considered her as an inspiration to take up the sport.

“I didn’t speak with her about the tennis and stuff like this, I just congratulated her. We didn’t get so close yet, probably. It’s an honor to hear that. Now she’s a grand slam champion, so she’s an idol for other kids. It’s a nice thing, a nice feeling to hear this. And hopefully I inspired her.”

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Halep, who is having a dry run on the WTA tour this year, couldn’t qualify for the WTA Finals in Guadalajara and even dropped out of the top-10 rankings for the first time in seven years.

“She has a bright future” – Halep on Raducanu

The former World No.1 remained confident that Raducanu will break into the top-10 very soon on the WTA tour.

“If she achieved already the grand slam title, I think she’s able to achieve everything. She has now the experience of winning the biggest tournament in tennis. She can go in top 10, sooner than everybody thinks because already she’s close to that. She has a bright future”, commented the Romanian.

Even though it’s disappointing to not have fans at the Transylvania Open this year, fans across the world can enjoy both Simona Halep and Emma Raducanu in action. If things go well, the two stars will face each other in the semi-finals of the event.

Also read: Former British No.1 Sends Message to Emma Raducanu Amid Her Coaching Chaos