\n<\/p>\n
Osaka, 28, is a four-time Slam winner, while Raducanu, who recently turned 23, stunned the sporting world in 2021 when she triumphed at the US Open as a qualifier.<\/p>\n
It was long past high time for a meeting of the pair when they finally went head to head at the Washington Open in July.<\/p>\n
Raducanu was dominant that day against the former world number one, winning 6-4 6-2 for one of her best results of the year.<\/p>\n
Before that match, Osaka said of Raducanu: “For me, she’s, like, the queen, like there’s a royal air around her.<\/p>\n
“I feel like whenever I see her or Serena, the kid in me comes out, because they were my favourite players to watch.”<\/p>\n
It emerged in that week that the pair were effectively strangers to each other on a personal level, having never had a conversation.<\/p>\n
On the court, Raducanu’s game was doing plenty of talking.<\/p>\n
“I watched her in Wimbledon, but I think it is different playing someone in real life than playing them or seeing them on TV,” Osaka said after her defeat.<\/p>\n
“It was really good to get the experience, to feel how her ball is. Hopefully I can play her again one day.”<\/p>\n
Raducanu’s verdict was one of great satisfaction, as she said: “I quite like these kind of match-ups where you’re playing a great opponent, a lot of people have eyes on the match, they’re into it. I’m pleased with how I was able to navigate playing a four-time Slam champ.”<\/p>\n
Tennis has made both players wealthy and famous, but they have – perhaps more than most in the sport – suffered away from the court.<\/p>\n
Both have experienced a downside to their status, with Raducanu having been followed by a stalker,<\/b><\/a> while Osaka has struggled at times with her mental health and took a break from the sport<\/a> after losing early at the 2021 US Open, the event where Raducanu’s momentous breakthrough arrived.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n