“Pretty amazing to watch,” Emma Raducanu seeks inspiration from Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe’s FIFA World Cup final performance ahead of 2023 Australian Open
Emma Raducanu thinks that she has learned a lot watching Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at the final of the FIFA World Cup 2022. She also got chance to meet Novak Djokovic.
Emma Raducanu at World Cup 2022 Final
Tennis professional Emma Raducanu made history by winning the 2021 US Open. She is the only player to come from qualifiers to win a Grand Slam title. However, since then, she has been struggling to find her form and maintain her fitness levels. She definitely needs some inspiration to get her career back on track.
And she must have gotten some at the FIFA World Cup 2022 Finals at Lusail Stadium, Qatar. The match between Argentina and France took a dramatic turn when Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in a matter of 90 seconds to send the final match into extra time. He later scored a hat-trick to take the match into extra time after Lionel Messi scored to give Argentina a 3-2 lead.
Emma Raducanu witnessed it all. She was particularly impressed by how the two players handled themselves throughout the game and under immense pressure took the penalties.
“To watch them go head-to-head was really cool. What Mbappe was able to do in that final was amazing. He was really pushing and carrying the team. I’m really happy for Messi because he just finished it off perfectly. But it was just so good to see how they handled the stage and the moment. I think you can learn how they dealt with it, how they just kept going, how they were taking penalties under pressure. It was pretty amazing to watch,” she elaborated in a recent interview on her learnings.
At the finals, she also got a chance to meet 21-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic. Both the tennis players took some time for a candid chat, mostly discussing tennis.
“It was really cool to meet him (Djokovic). He took the time to speak with me, mostly about tennis,” she continued.
It is to be seen how Emma Raducanu will apply all her learnings into play in the 2023 season.
Related: “I’d definitely go back to Shenyang,” Emma Raducanu hoping to visit China soon
Emma Raducanu recovers from injury to participate in Australian Open 2023
The 20-year-old British player has had a terrible start to her 2023 season. She participated in the 2023 ASB Classic at Auckland, New Zealand. It is considered a preparatory tournament before the Australian Open 2023, but she slipped on the surface, twisting her ankle in her second-round tie against Victoria Kuzmova. She had to forfeit the match and walk out of the court sobbing.
Hence, speculations were ripe about her possible withdrawal from the first Grand Slam of the season. But she managed to recover and is ready to take on the best in the tournament.
“So while I was a bit shocked initially [about the ankle] I feel really, really good actually. I think that I’m setting things up really nicely with the way my team is looking at the moment. And I’m just buzzing to start and get going,” she said.
Emma Raducanu will start her journey into the tournament against Germany’s Jule Niemeier in the first round.
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Abhar Indorkar
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