EMMA RADUCANU hinted she may have got her Porsche back after a cryptic social media post.
Raducanu, 21, signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with the German car manufacturer after winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier.
The British tennis sensation, though, reportedly had her stunning £125,000 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet “taken back” by Porsche recently.
Within days, she was pictured driving around in her much-loved £5,000 second-hand Dacia Sandero.
SunSport understands Raducanu remains a global ambassador for the brand – alongside her deals with Dior, Evian, HSBC, Vodafone and Tiffany plus others.
However, less than a week after the news of Porsche reclaiming the motor, Raducanu took to Instagram with an intriguing image.
The Kent star shared a selfie to her 2.6million followers sat in a luxury car with the sun bursting through the window.
But it was the detailing on the headrest of the seat that caught the eye – with the “GTS” branding embossed on it.
Although the GTS is used in Ferraris and McLarens, it is predominantly associated with Porsche – and it appears it could be her beloved 911 again.
To then thicken the plot further, Raducanu added a second picture of a wall in what looks like an art gallery with the phrase: “Like I Vanished and Reappeared.”
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And it therefore could be a cryptic reference to the motor, which may well have been given back to her.
Raducanu was delighted to sign the initial deal with Porsche – thanks in part to a childhood love of their cars.
But amid the news of Porsche withdrawing the expensive vehicle from her garage, an associate told the Daily Mail: “Emma no longer has a Porsche.
“They took it back. It used to have pride of place at her home.”
A Porsche spokesperson appeared to confirm the decision and added: “While we do on occasion loan Emma a car, this is very much on an ad hoc basis.”
The famous brand is well known for swiftly withdrawing its cars from celebrity ambassadors, especially if they feel the arrangement is no longer achieving value for money.
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But that could mean that when she took the photo and uploaded it online, Raducanu was back in possession of the 192mph 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet.
However, whether she can drive it at the moment is another question.
World No57 Raducanu is currently out injured with a foot problem.
So when she visited Great Ormond Street Hospital to meet staff and patients in the physiotherapy department this week, she did so wearing a protective boot on her left foot.
SunSport have contacted Raducanu’s representatives for comment.
By Joshua Jones
THE absence of line judges at Wimbledon will be a sad sight.
For as long as I can remember, the men and women decked out in their Ralph Lauren outfits have been part of the furniture at the All England Club.
Yes, they provided some mild entertainment on the court when one would call “fault” with plenty of extra, and unnecessary, gusto and volume that boomed around Centre Court, prompting a snigger from the fans.
Then there was the ongoing game of dodgeball they had to play when a big serve nailed a mammoth ace down the line and they had to take rapid evasive action or take a whack to the top of the head.
And challenges provided some audience participation, excitedly joining in the clapping countdown before the inevitable “oooh” when the graphic showed just how close the ball was to landing in or out.
Purely objectively, Wimbledon’s decision to replace line judges with Hawk-Eye Live makes total sense.
The accuracy and consistency of calls in real-time will speed things up, save time and should mark the end of arguments over the tight incorrect calls – well, until the technology malfunctions.
And Wimbledon’s hand was somewhat forced to ditch tradition for their standing in tennis.
The Australian Open and US Open already use electronic line calling and the ATP Tour is adopting Hawk-Eye Live across all of its tournaments from 2025.
Wimbledon’s refusal to comply would leave them lagging behind and exposed to the threat of needless controversy over human error.
But the impact – as is so often the case in these decisions – has ramifications further down, below the surface with very little impact on Wimbledon’s Championships or the players.
It is on the line judges themselves.
Approximately 300 officials – aged from 18 to 80 – covered more than 650 matches at Wimbledon.
A fraction travel internationally with the circuit but the vast majority of those are part-time line judges based in the UK, earning up to £180 per day to work at the prestigious tournament and their chance to play their part at Wimbledon.
For many, they will help out at British tournaments throughout the year, spurred on by the possibility of taking to the lawns of the All England Club.
But it is understood many of those officials would be reluctant to work at the lower-level tournaments without the carrot of Wimbledon dangling in the summer.
That in turn will put a major stumbling block in the pathway for British tennis umpires, who grind up through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
Like football with referees, tennis needs umpires and line judges.
So the inability to call “out” at Wimbledon could prove to be a major “fault” for the future of the UK’s tennis officials and therefore the state of the sport on these shores.
