Rafael Nadal has given his verdict on Emma Raducanu’s “tough year” after the Brit crashed out to Carolina Garcia in the Wimbledon second round. The 19-year-old had been spotted wearing the Spaniard’s famous Nike bull logo earlier in the tournament.
Raducanu donned Nadal’s bull logo on a t-shirt during a training session ahead of her first-round match and again in her post-match press conference on Monday. The British No 1 beat Alison Van Uytvanck before falling to Caroline Garcia in the second round on Wednesday - the latest in her early exits since winning the US Open.
After the 19-year-old paid tribute to him, the 22-time Major champion refused to give her advice but said her performance in Flushing Meadows had been “unbelievable” as he spoke about Raducanu’s season since. “I am not a big fan of advices, honestly. I think people who is next to the player have normally the best advices because they know the situation, the personal situation, of the person,” he said when asked if he had any pointers as a former teenage Grand Slam champion.
“But I honestly never had a big interaction with her. But I was very impressive when I saw her winning the US Open. I think was last year, no? I saw the final. The way that she played was unbelievable.”
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Raducanu herself mentioned her tough year when she spoke about her decision to wear Nadal’s logo, as she looked to copy his fighting spirit. “Of course, I think Rafa just embodies fight, that sort of energy,” she explained on Monday.
“That’s what I’m bringing in. In terms of energy-wise, I think that I have had a tough year, like it’s no secret. It is all worth it just to go out on Centre Court and get a win like that.
