Emma Raducanu gushed over Coco Gauff and admits making sponsorship mistakes ahead of Aus Open clash

Emma Raducanu hailed Coco Gauff as a "great role model" for the way she played the game of fame ahead of the two young superstars facing off at the Australian Open. The British No. 1 and the American teenager first trained together ahead of the U12 Orange Bowl in Florida ten years ago.

And Raducanu lost in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon in 2019 when 15-year-old Gauff made a name for herself beating Venus Williams. "I was playing Junior Wimbledon on Ct 5 then and she was on center court!" the Kent star laughed.

The two will now meet for the first time - and possibly start a great rivalry - with Raducanu a former US Open winner and Gauff now at world No. 7 after reaching the Open final. France last year. During her rise to the top of the sport, the American has also used her voice to speak out on political issues such as Black Lives Matter and gun control. And Raducanu said: "I think she's a great person on and off the pitch. She's extremely humble and down to earth. And what she's achieved on the pitch has obviously helped give her that platform for her to pursue what she wants off the court as well. She's a great role model for so many people. I'm really looking forward to this game. I'm very much into it."

Asked to name his passion, the Kent star added: "For me, I love getting on the court with younger kids and helping out." But while Gauff enjoyed a slower rise in the rankings - and Raducanu will be looking to beat a top ten player for the first time on Wednesday - the Bromley-based star moved into the top 10 after his triumph at New York. She has now fallen back to 77th in the world while juggling her various sponsors.

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"I think I'm still learning the balance," she said. "I give 200% in everything I do. So even when I do my commitments, I give my all and sometimes it can drain energy without even realizing it. So I just worked to better plan engagements around training Gauff, now 18, believes Raducanu is more in the spotlight as she grew up in the shadow of Serena Williams, while Raducanu, 20, is the only famous British player.

"Obviously she was under a lot of pressure and burst onto the scene," the title winner said in Auckland last week. “And above all, I feel like I'm from the UK, to be like the first British person to do something in a long time, it's probably a lot more pressure than I'm used to as a than American. Serena is retired now, but she was always the American people looked up to."

Raducanu, who became the first British woman since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977 to win a Grand Slam, said: "I think she's right about that!" Gauff beat Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-1 6-4 yesterday after going out in the first round here last year.

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And Raducanu allayed fears over her right ankle injury by confidently outclassing World No. 76 Tamara Korpastch 6-3 6-2 in just 85 minutes.

The UK No.1 wore a Nike skirt inspired by abstract artwork and drank coconut juice during her post-match recovery to watch at home Down Under. "I don't have any input, no - they say, 'You wear' that, but yeah, I really like that," she said. “It's quite colorful. I like to explore. Normally, I'm pretty plain and simple, so I venture...