EMMA RADUCANU was SECRETLY mentored by tennis legend Tim Henman as she stormed her way through the US Open before claiming the title on Saturday.
Henman, 47 was courtside throughout providing analysis for Amazon Prime, but he also played another role.
He cheered on teenage sensation Raducanu all the way through her U.S. Open success, and gave her valuable tips and encouragement along the way.
Raducanu labelled Henman an inspiration and highlighted his importance to her after she beat Maria Sakkari in the semi-final.
The Brit, 18, said: “It means so much to have Virginia (Wade) here and also Tim Henman, British icons, and for me to follow in their footsteps it definitely helps and gave me the belief that I could actually do it.
“Tim is honestly such a big inspiration. He has been helping me to treat one point at a time…You can’t get ahead of yourself.”
As well as his fortunate positioning courtside, Henman has been able to help Raducanu due to his close relationship with her coach Andrew Richardson.
The Brit was a team-mate of Henman during the 1997 Davis Cup and was even best man at his wedding two years later.
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Richardson only took over as Raducanu’s coach after her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon earlier this year.
She reached the fourth round on that occasion but it has not taken long for Richardson to help propel Raducanu to stardom.
Raducanu showed appreciation to her team after collecting the trophy, as they formed her support network in the absence of her parents – they were not allowed to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions.
And Henman believes this will just be the start for Raducanu, saying: “She won ten matches without dropping a set. It’s an absolute joke . . . it’s unbelievable.
“She is going to win more of these, she is that good. This is not some flash-in-the-pan fairytale.”
And commenting on the role he played in the win, Henman added: “If she wants to give me a percentage of the prize money, I’ll be very happy.”
