Tennis star Emma Raducanu has a major fan cheering her on from across the pond, and her name is Kate Middleton.
Following her impressive semi-finals win at the U.S. Open, the British athlete received a personal message on Twitter from the Duchess of Cambridge. Replying to Raducanu’s own Tweet (which read, “Pure happiness under the lights in New York”), the 39-year-old congratulated the 18-year-old before wishing her the “best of luck” in the finals.
“What an incredible achievement at this year's #USOpen @EmmaRaducanu!” the note read. “We will all be rooting for you tomorrow. Wishing you the best of luck!” Middleton simply signed the message, “C.”
Raducanu defeated Maria Sakkari in the women's semi-final on Thursday. She will compete against Canada’s Leylah Annie Fernandez during Saturday’s final.
“It obviously means a lot to be the first in the final for so long. Crazy, cool,” Raducanu told the BBC. “To be here in New York for three weeks is just absolutely mind-blowing for me. Honestly, right now I'm just thinking of the game plan, how to execute. That's what's landed me in this situation. It hasn't been focusing on who's expected to win this match or that one. I think it's just taking care of the day. That's what I'm doing quite well at the moment.”
Middleton has been a longtime fan of competitive tennis. In fact, before the pandemic, she often attended Wimbledon whenever she could. (She and Prince William are also known to play the sport together, though the duke previously revealed he has a hard time beating his wife.)
We can’t wait to see what Kate has to say after Saturday’s match.
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