Emma Raducanu was handed an MBE by King Charles III in 2022, shortly after winning the US Open, and the tennis star has opened up on her first meeting with the new monarch
King Charles had Emma Raducanu in stitches when he cheekily asked if she “had found a coach yet” during a Royal ceremony.
The 22-year-old is currently competing at Wimbledon, where she’ll face Markéta Vondroušová in the second round on Wednesday after beating Mimi Xu in straight sets. Raducanu is desperate to progress beyond the fourth round as she hunts for her second Grand Slam victory.
But she’s got at least one high-profile supporter in her corner – King Charles III, who shared a lighthearted moment with the tennis star back in 2022. The then-20-year-old was receiving her MBE for services to tennis when the newly-crowned monarch delivered his well-timed joke.
Speaking to the Sunday Times Style Magazine in 2023, Raducanu revealed the King’s brilliant sense of humour during their encounter, when he asked her: ‘Have you found a coach yet?’
She said: “I was like, ‘That’s good banter!’ It was so funny, I was laughing because everyone was ripping me for not having a coach. I was like: ‘The fact you know this, I feel honoured.'”.
The former US Open champion was clearly charmed by the royal’s wit, describing him as both funny and kind during their memorable meeting.
Raducanu has worked with many coaches in her short yet successful career so far, including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, and Nick Cavaday.
Yet, it was the monarch’s wit that showed he’s in the know on sporting news, leaving Raducanu delighted with the Royal recognition.
The 22-year-old is currently training at Wimbledon with her old coach Cavaday and Mark Petchey by her side. Following her victory on Monday, Raducanu was full of praise for Petchey, rating him “11 out of 10” for his support during her SW19 comeback.
She added: “He’s been everything the last few months for me. I’ve really enjoyed being around him. He’s helped me so much on all fronts, tennis, off-court.”
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
£43
£35
Sky
Get the deal here
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
