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Slide 6 of 10

Emma Raducanu Is Inspired by Li Na

Raducanu is often praised for her composure and the calm and humble nature in which she handles herself. Although she has listed Andy Murray and Serena Williams among the people that inspire her in the game, it is ex-professional Chinese player Li Na who inspires her mentally.

After a match at theUS Open in 2021, Raducanu said: "I think for me when I was younger I would take a lot of inspiration from Li Na, even now just the way she was such a fierce competitor. I think all her belief, she had extremely good weapons, her movement, her mentality, but her inner strength and belief really stood out for me. I remember watching her play Schiavone in French Open final. That was definitely a long, tough match. But the amount of mental strength and resilience she showed, that match still sticks in my head today."

"The way that I'm approaching my matches is each time I'm thinking to myself, 'Why not?' Like today, I was like, 'Someone has to be in the second week, why not me?'" Raducanu said during her 2021 Wimbledon run. "I'm just trying to stay here as long as possible."