Emma Raducanu has called Spurs forward Son Heung-min an inspiration to his home country of South Korea and to herself. 

Raducanu has arrived in South Korea ahead of the Korean Open as she bids to rise up through the world rankings again.

The Brit had been ranked inside the top 10 earlier this year, but has fallen to 77th after failing to defend her US Open title. 

Meanwhile, Son overcame his difficult start to the Premier League season by netting a sublime hat-trick against Leicester last weekend. 

The 30-year-old, who captains the South Korean national team, is regarded as one of the best Asian players of all time and is idolised back home. 

Raducanu revealed she was a Spurs fan earlier this year and spoke glowingly about Son ahed of her latest competition.

Son

What has Raducanu said? 

“I really resonate with him, and I think that what he’s doing for sport and football in Asia and in Korea especially is massive,” she said, as per tennis365

“I think that there are going to be a lot more future athletes coming from this side of the world.”

Son has been at Spurs since 2015 but is still searching for his first piece of silverware with the club. 

Similarly, Raducanu is also desperate for a title and doesn’t care how it comes about. 

“I would obviously love to win a title, and to be honest, I think that it doesn’t matter at what level. I think now just playing a lot of matches is something that I could really benefit from."

Raducanu

Why Son is a national hero 

Son is viewed as a symbol of national pride in South Korea and has been listed in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 since 2019. 

In 2018, he guided the South Korean team to victory in the Asian Games –– guaranteeing the entire squad’s exemption from military service. 

Since making his international debut in 2010, Son has won more than 100 caps and scored 33 goals. 

This winter, he will compete for South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

Son Spurs

How has Raducanu fared recently? 

It’s been a tough year for Raducanu, who is yet to reach the semi-finals of any tournament and has now lost her US Open crown. 

The 19-year-old suffered defeat in the second round of the Slovenia Open last week and will be looking to bounce back in South Korea this time around.

Raducanu is seeded sixth for the event and faces Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in her opening match.