Emma Raducanu Porsche saga takes potential new twist as former US Open champion’s quick outfit change confuses fans
EMMA RADUCANU left fans baffled with the latest potential twist in her Porsche saga.
Reports last month claimed the British tennis star had seen her beloved luxury £125,000 911 Carrera motor taken back by the German manufacturers.
Raducanu signed a deal to become a global ambassador for the car giants after winning the US Open in 2021.
However, question marks have been raised over the sponsorship with various cryptic social media posts from the Bromley sensation.
She uploaded one selfie seemingly in a Porsche just days after allegedly having the car removed from her garage – as she was also spotted whizzing around in her trusty £5,000 Dacia.
And another Instagram post captioned “good day” showed a black Porsche in a car park space.
SunSport understands Raducanu remains a global ambassador for Porsche.
But she certainly gave mixed messages ahead of her appearance in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Spain.
That is because Raducanu did her portraits in the photoshoot wearing the standard Great Britain tracksuit.
And that included the logo of car brand Lexus on the navy Castore zip-up jacket.
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However, those photos seemingly disappeared from the official feed used by the media.
And by the time Raducanu attended the Malaga press conference, she had made a very subtle outfit change.
Her previous jacket had been ditched and replaced with a new one that was different from that of her team-mates Olivia Nicholls, Harriet Dart, Katie Boulter, Heather Watson and captain Anne Keothavong.
And, crucially, the changed version saw the Lexus symbol gone.
So it meant Raducanu faced the media with a unique kit.
SunSport has contacted her representatives to establish if the mystery was directly due to her contractual obligations with Porsche which meant she is banned from promoting a rival brand.
Either way, a few eagled-eyed supporters spotted the tracksuit tweak.
One said: “Emma’s got a new jacket. Hahaha to the trolls.”
And another replied: “Well spotted!”
Raducanu celebrated turning 22 on Wednesday – and interestingly got a dedicated post from the Porsche Tennis Instagram page sending their best wishes.
Tennis stars following in parents' footsteps
TALK about pressure…
These rising stars are all making their way in tennis.
But they have got something in common – they’ve got a famous parent who also made their name in the sport.
So who are the players hoping to follow in the footsteps of their tennis mums and dads?
- My dad is one of the greatest tennis players ever… but he’s not my idol
- My mum won US Open aged 16 then Wimbledon… but you won’t know it from my surname
- My Czech dad won Australian Open and my sisters are elite golfers… but I’m playing for different country
- My millionaire dad played with Federer… but I’ve reached three Grand Slam finals
- My dad earned £1m and got to French Open final… but I’ve already surpassed his career
- My record-breaking dad is in tennis Hall of Fame and won Wimbledon… but I’m aiming to emulate his achievements
But the fit-again birthday girl and the British squad could not leave their team hotel for safety reasons.
She laughed: “I’m really grateful that my team made a really big effort to make me feel really special.
“There were birthday banners, cake, balloons. It was really nice, considering the weather.
“We couldn’t really go out or do anything but it’s just how it goes.
“Even though those were the conditions, I still had a great time. It was very memorable.
“I really felt a lot of love from my friends back home. I got a lot of nice messages, which was really sweet.”
On Friday, Great Britain face Germany in the first round in Malaga, where their preparation was disrupted by the flooding in the region, with the winners facing top seeds and defending champions Canada in the quarter-finals.
Boulter promised the British team will “put their hearts on the line” this weekend as they attempt to end 61 years of hurt.
GB female tennis stars have never won the Billie Jean King Cup – established in 1963 and formerly known as the Fed Cup – and have been beaten finalists on FOUR occasions.