Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova: Which other tennis legend inspired Wimbledon star Lulu Sun’s grass-court exploits?

Emma Raducanu’s return to Wimbledon was an emotional journey, but Lulu Sun’s hidden talent unsettled her opponent when fans least expected it. Bringing a sparkling excitement to the game, the New Zealander has fought her way to at least reach the top 60 now! But the question is, where did she learn her unbeatable momentum on the court? Well, the answer lies in her desire to learn from the best in tennis, be it Roger Federer or a Steffi Graf against. Martina Navratilova faceoff.

“I played a little bit in juniors and then a few professional tournaments, but I think it was watching the pros, growing up, like Federer of course coming up to the net and I also watched on YouTube, Steffi Graf versus Navratilova. It was so amazing to watch them. I mean, of course, I couldn’t watch them live. But I learned everything from the pros and I tried to bring that into my game.” Sun spoke about his inspirations to a reporter during an on-field interview after the match.

Sun isn’t even in the semifinals at Wimbledon yet, but she’s already made history by becoming just the second WTA player from her country to reach the quarterfinals. She may be a long way from winning eight Wimbledon titles like Federer, but the dramatic energy of a seven-time Wimbledon champion Graff vs. nine-time Wimbledon champion Navratilova was palpable in her fourth-round match against Raducanu.

However, unlike Navratilova and Graf, who have faced each other 18 times in their careers, the 23-year-old Sun dominated Raducanu in their very first meeting! As Raducanu herself admitted, “Qualifying can be dangerous” Lulu proved herself right with her incredible mastery of the game. After all, Sun has big ambitions for the future, capitalizing on her aggressive style on grass! However, she tries to keep her feet on the ground, appreciating her opponent’s performance after an incredible 2 hours and 50 minutes match.

Sun’s thoughts on a closely contested match against Raducanu

Sun’s victory over Raducanu (6-2, 5-7, 6-2) kept all tennis fans on the edge of their seats. After all, the left-hander never backed down, on the contrary, her offensive shots allowed Raducanu to run for points. On the other hand, Raducanu’s game, undermined by injuries, was slowly falling apart and she eventually gave up. However, after the match, Sun revealed the incredible fight that Raducanu gave her.

“It was a great match against her. She really gave it her all to try and take the win from me, I had to fight tooth and nail against her… she was obviously going to run for every ball and fight until the end.” Although Lulu Sun is keen to follow in the footsteps of her idols, she is immersed in writing her own remarkable story at Wimbledon this season!