Emma Raducanu’s Hot Dates: A Fast Car and Serena Williams
The US Open champion just learned to drift and then pulled the Serena Williams lottery ticket in Cincinnati, getting to play the legend before she retires. It’s the perfect crescendo to the teenager’s dream year.
As Emma Raducanu enters the home stretch of her Cinderella-story year as the US Open champion, the pinch-me opportunities that accompany sudden fame are still coming fast and furiously—none more so than her high-speed spin around the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone that she revealed this week.
Even after a year of red carpets and royal meetups, learning to drift still registered as a pure thrill for the teenage Briton who loves Formula 1 and did some competitive karting as a pre-teen. As a Porsche ambassador, she got the chance to get behind the wheel of a 911 Carrera S, which can go almost 200 miles per hour, and learn drifts and donuts on a specialized racetrack in England.
As part of the joyride, Raducanu drove on surfaces that simulate icy and snowy roads. It got even better when FIA Hall of Famer and nine-time Grand Prix champion Mark Webber joined her, riding shotgun and giving pointers.
“It is like playing a tennis match,” Raducanu said, “learning where to push and how to work with the car to get the best results.”
The spot was filmed before the world No. 10 headed across the pond to prepare for her US Open defense—which will include another monumental milestone when she plays Serena Williams in the opening round of Cincinnati next week.
The blockbuster match was revealed when the Western & Southern Open released the draw on Friday. Raducanu is one of many young players who have yet to face Williams, and whose opportunity will disappear once she retires after the US Open.
