Tennis fans react to Emma Raducanu wearing a Rafael Nadal T-shirt at practice

After failing to live up to expectations, Emma Raducanu will finally make a comeback in the WTA 250 tournament at the Citi Open, which gets underway in Washington, D.C. on August 1.

However, prior to this, Raducanu was spotted practicing with her new coach Dmitry Tursunov, whom she appointed on a trial basis, as per a report by The Daily Mail.

Raducanu was observed hitting long backhands and forehands during their practice session, but that wasn't the most intriguing aspect. The interesting part is that she did all of this while donning a unique T-shirt with Rafael Nadal's recognizable bull logo printed on it.

The Brit is a big Nadal fan and has made it quite clear at times through her actions. She was also seen sporting a T-shirt with Nadal's logo earlier in June while participating in the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. She once attended a press conference in Miami while sporting a cap with the same logo.

Fans expressed their opinions on Twitter in light of this. Some praised Emma Raducanu for sporting Nadal's jersey and attempting to embody his fighting spirit, while others pointedly compared her to Iga Swiatek, another ardent supporter of Nadal, saying they are giving each other competition.

According to one commenter, Raducanu and Swiatek are vying to discover who the biggest Nadal admirer is. The comment read:

Another opined that the World No. 1 is aware of Nadal's work ethic and respects his talent, hence she wore the T-shirt. The user wrote:

Another user, however, stated that Emma Raducanu is a big pretender who secretly supports Nick Kyrgios and wrote the following:

Emma Raducanu to lock horns with Marie Bouzkova in Citi Open first round

The 2022 Citi Open seedings have been made public, and Emma Raducanu is placed second in her tournament debut. The World No. 10 was given the most difficult matchup among the top seeds when she was paired with Marie Bouzkova, who is a Wimbledon quarterfinalist.

The Czech has had a successful season thus far and advanced to the Prague Open final this week. She will therefore pose a serious threat to the Brit, who is vying for her maiden WTA tour title this season.

About the author

Pritha is one of the driving forces behind Sportskeeda's tennis coverage, serving as an assistant content manager and editor. What began as a casual escape from her tiring biotechnology degree course in early 2022 has blossomed into a passion she loves, cherishes, and breathes every day.

Pritha’s love for the sport was spawned by her dad who showed her clips of "GOAT" Steffi Graf’s matches. Despite a thwarted dream of playing professionally due to injury, she finds solace in reporting the sport, while also mentoring other writers to ensure every article is error-free and top-notch. She double-checks credible sources, such as the tournament/player handles and big tennis media outlets, and gives proper credit where required.

Pritha's journey at Sportskeeda is marked by more than 2000 articles and close to 16 million views, with the "dream-come-true" moment of having her article shared by Chris Evert serving as a highlight of her career. A lifelong Wimbledon fan, Pritha also adores Rafael Nadal, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka.

When she's not seeking unique angles to elevate tennis coverage at Sportskeeda, she loves to channel her inner astrophysics "nerd" by exploring new sci-fi series and movies. A big Lionel Messi, Lewis Hamilton, and Randy Orton fan, she is always ready to engage in sports conversations anytime, anywhere, albeit not without a cup of coffee.

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"She trying to embrace her inner Rafa and fight till the end", "Emma and Iga battling it out for the No. 1 Rafa fan" - Tennis fans react to Emma Raducanu wearing a Rafael Nadal T-shirt at practice

Emma Raducanu to lock horns with Marie Bouzkova in Citi Open first round