King Charles brought laughter to Emma Raducanu when he jokingly asked her if she had “found a coach yet” during a royal event.
The 22-year-old is currently competing at Wimbledon, where she will face Markéta Vondroušová in the second round on Wednesday after defeating Mimi Xu in straight sets. Raducanu is eager to advance further than the fourth round and secure her second Grand Slam title.
However, she already has a high-profile supporter in her corner—King Charles III—who shared a playful moment with her in 2022. When Raducanu was receiving her MBE for services to tennis, the newly-crowned king made a witty remark.
In an interview with the Sunday Times Style Magazine in 2023, Raducanu shared how much she appreciated the king’s sense of humor, recalling that he asked her, “Have you found a coach yet?” She laughed and thought, “That’s good banter!” She explained, “It was so funny, I was laughing because everyone was making fun of me for not having a coach. When he knew that, I felt really honored.”
Raducanu, who’s won the US Open, was clearly touched by the royal’s wit, describing him as both funny and kind during their memorable meeting.
Throughout her young but successful career, Raducanu has worked with various coaches including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, and Nick Cavaday. But it was the king’s clever comment that showed he’s well-informed about sports, leaving Raducanu thrilled to receive royal recognition.
She’s currently training at Wimbledon with her former coach Cavaday and Mark Petchey. After her victory Monday, Raducanu praised Petchey highly, calling him “11 out of 10” for his support during her Wimbledon comeback. She added, “He’s been everything to me over the last few months. I’ve really enjoyed being around him. He’s helped me immensely both on and off the court.”
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