Emma Raducanu has impressed fans by seamlessly switching between English and Mandarin during her latest Wimbledon press conference.Â
The US Open champion was knocked out of the competition in the second round by Franceâs Caroline Garcia, but remained upbeat when speaking to reporters afterwards.
Raducanu, who had been struggling with a thigh injury in the build-up to the tournament, stressed that she was happy to have made it to the second round.Â
The teenager also quashed any suggestion that there was pressure on her to succeed, stating: âThereâs no pressure. Like, why is there any pressure? Iâm still 19. Like, itâs a joke. I literally won a Slam.
âYes, I have had attention. But Iâm a Slam champion, so no oneâs going to take that away from me. If anything, the pressure is on those who havenât done that.â
Raducanu speaks Mandarin
Asked by a reporter from Shanghai Sports Radio if she could respond to her question in Mandarin, Raducanu said sheâd give it her best shot.
Fans were pleased with the Britâs attempt and one Mandarin-speaking fan online gave her response a seven [out of 10].
âItâs really cute,â they said. âI gave @EmmaRaducanu a solid 7 in answering questions in Mandarin. Could tell sheâs speaking with an English grammar mindset, but vocabulary and pronunciation are good, with northeastern dialect.
â[The] most funny part [is] all [the] UK reporters didnât understand a d**n thing.â
Meanwhile, another wrote: âSheâs so cute with her accent and her intonation was pretty good for someone who seldom speaks Chinese [Mandarin].â
A third added: âI don't care what her ranking is, how many titles she holds or how deep she goes in Slams at the moment because there is no better ambassador for women's tennis than Emma Radacanu. Period.â
Itâs not the first time Raducanu has shown off her language skills. Last year, she posted a video on the Chinese platform Weibo, thanking fans for their support.Â
Whatâs next for Raducanu?
The 19-year-old has reached the second round of every major this year but has not won successive matches at a Slam since triumphing at Flushing Meadows last September.
Nonetheless, the Brit remains optimistic and has taken positives from this week.Â
"I've played seven hours of tennis in a month,â she said. âTo even compete with these girls at this level and win a round I think is a pretty good achievement."
The British number one has just over two months until she is set to defend her US Open title in New York.