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By John Glenday, Reporter

March 7, 2022 | 3 min read

Teen tennis ace Emma Raducanu is to become the face of Vodafone after agreeing to serve as brand ambassador for the telecommunications firm.

As its figurehead, Raducanu will leverage her fame as the winner of last year’s US Open to become Vodafone’s grassroots tennis ambassador, inspiring a new generation of players to pick up the ball.

In her new role, the British number one will become the face of Play Your Way to Wimbledon, a mass participation tennis tournament organized by the Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, to offer beginners a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bat for real at Wimbledon.

As a technology partner, Vodafone will play up the strengths of its superfast 5G broadband network as an indispensable connection between Raducanu and her friends and family as she tours the globe.

Max Taylor, Vodafone consumer director, said: “Emma has captivated the nation over the last 18 months, delivering one of the most iconic British sporting moments in recent memory and inspiring a huge number of new players to pick up a racket for the first time. As the face of modern British tennis and a graduate of the LTA’s grassroots program – which we are proud to now be supporting – Emma is the perfect person to champion the relaunch and expansion of Play Your Way to Wimbledon, powered by Vodafone and our ambition to democratize the sport and connect a new generation of fans and players.”

Raducanu added: “I’m so excited to be working with Vodafone to inspire the next generation of tennis players in the UK. The support I received at a grassroots level has been key to my development as a player, and I’m looking forward to helping make these initiatives even bigger, better and more accessible.”

Stepping up to the position, Raducanu appears in a Matrix-style ‘digital sculpture’ using a time-slice rig and a custom racket threaded with electroluminescent wire alongside grassroots colleague Katie Randall.

Raducanu has previously batted away criticism of her tennis skills in a hard-hitting Nike advert.

The LTA is working with The Kite Factory to capitalize on the ‘Raducanu Effect’ in the months following her surprise US Open win.

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