Emma Raducanu admits nerves after tennis legend turns up for latest match

In her first match since parting ways with Roig, Raducanu eased past Greet Minnen 6-0 6-4 at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca.

The Briton’s display was well-received, drawing applause from the crowd and notably from former world number one Simona Halep, who stepped away from professional tennis last year and was present at her home event in Romania.

While Halep has ruled out coaching for now, she’s still making an appearance as the honorary ambassador at this year’s tournament.

This holds particular meaning for Raducanu, who didn’t get the chance to face Halep before she retired but has often spoken about how much she admired the two-time Grand Slam winner growing up.

Speaking after her win over Minnen, Raducanu was asked about playing in Romania for the first time since 2021 and what it meant to have Halep watching on.

“It’s amazing how much has happened in five years, I can’t believe it’s been that long,” said Raducanu. “But I saw her in the front row of my match at the end and I heard the crowd support in the middle of the match.”

“I knew she was there so I was trying not to think about it, not to get nervous. But it was really nice to know that she was there and present. But I haven’t had a chance to speak to her yet. I hope this week that I’m able to.”

Emma Raducanu’s path to a possible title since her 2021 breakthrough

Raducanu made history in 2021 as the only qualifier to win a major, but she hasn’t added another trophy since that remarkable run at the US Open.

Now, as the top seed at the WTA 250 event in Cluj-Napoca, she has a real chance to break that drought.

Following her straight-sets win over Minnen, Raducanu now faces world number 97 Kaja Juvan in the second round.

The first seeded player Raducanu could meet is Olga Danilovic, who grabbed headlines with her win over Venus Williams at this year’s Australian Open.

Xinyu Wang stands out as one of the bigger threats in Raducanu’s half. The fourth seed has been in good form, reaching the Auckland final and then pushing on to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

The other side of the draw isn’t light on quality either. Anastasia Potapova is there, and she’s not only defending champion but also coming off a recent win over Raducanu at Melbourne Park.

But before any thoughts of lifting silverware can creep in, Raducanu needs to deal with Juvan — someone she hasn’t faced before — and focus on building momentum from there.