"I would love to play mixed doubles with Andy Murray" - Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu recently revealed that the player she would most like to play with is fellow Brit Andy Murray. If she had to pick a retired player, however, the reigning US Open champion declared that it would be Li Na.

Speaking in a light-hearted interview during her time at the 2022 Abierto Akron Zapopan, Raducanu picked Murray as the player she was most excited to play with.

"I would love to play mixed doubles with Andy Murray," she said.

But among former players, the teenager went with two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na, saying that it would be "special" to play alongside her idol. Raducanu also added that the Chinese champion was the player she admired the most.

"Li Na, probably," Raducanu said. "I think it is special to play with your idol."

For reference, Li Na is the first Asian, man or woman, to win a Grand Slam. She reached a career-high World No. 2 in the WTA rankings in 2014, the same year she retired. For her contributions to the game, Li was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019.

The World No. 12 was also asked about who had the best fashion sense and the funniest tennis player on tour. She laughed both questions off, admitting sheepishly that she did not know any of her fellow players well enough to answer. It should be noted that this is the Brit's first full season on the WTA tour.

However, she remarked that World No. 9 Garbine Muguruza is "very, very funny."

"Honestly, I haven't seen many players off the court to tell you," Raducanu said. "I really don't know anyone. Garbine Muguruza is very, very funny."

Emma Raducanu forced to retire in her first match at Guadalajara 2022

Emma Raducanu had to retire from her opener at Guadalajara with a left hip injury

Emma Raducanu suffered a shock defeat in her opener at the 2022 Abierto Akron Zapopan. As the top seed, the World No. 12 had to retire against Daria Saville with the score at 7-5, 6-7(4), 3*-4 due to a left hip injury.

Raducanu was two points away from taking the match, serving at 7-5, 5-3 30-15. But after losing the set in a tie-breaker, the teenager couldn't handle the exhaustion as the match progressed. The encounter had lasted three hours and 36 minutes by the time she retired, making it the longest WTA match of the season so far.

Saville now plays Caroline Dolehide in the second round, who defeated Zhu Lin in her opener. With the defeat, Raducanu's 2022 season has gone from bad to worse. The reigning US Open champion has only one win to her name so far, against Sloane Stephens in the first round of the Australian Open, while she has lost three matches.