Emma Raducanu Pays Tribute to 'Inspirational' Serena Williams as She Continues Her Tennis Takeover

Emma Raducanu has had an impressive few years. The 19-year-old tennis star from the U.K. has been making history like it's the easiest thing in the world. The athlete did it for the Brits by winning the US Open 2021 and then months later winning BBC's Sports Personality of the Year 2021, the first woman to do so since Zara Tindall in 2006. To say she deserves it is an understatement.

And her star power on the court shows no signs of stopping considering she just defeated tennis icon Serena Williams, arguably the greatest athlete of all time, during the first round at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Raducanu praised the soon-to-be-retired Serena as "inspirational" in a gushing tribute following her win. "We all need to just honor Serena and her amazing career," she told the crowds. “I'm so grateful for the experience to have been able to play her and for our careers to have crossed over. Everything she has achieved is so inspirational, and it was a true to honor to share the court with her.”

She also shared an Instagram picture of herself shaking Serena's hand with the caption, "Grateful to have shared the court w you serena."

So how has this relative newcomer managed to reach such dizzying heights of tennis stardom? Here's everything you need to know about Emma Raducanu.

Born in Canada, Emma and her family moved to London when she was two years old. Since then, she's been a high achiever on and off the tennis court. At just 18, Emma started Wimbledon ranked 338th in the world before blowing spectators' minds by becoming the youngest British woman to make it to the Round of 16 during the competition's Open Era.

While she later withdrew from the fourth round of Wimbledon, citing dizziness and breathing difficulties, she made an incredible comeback by winning the US Open 2021.