Emma Raducanu represents Great Britain on the tennis circuit, but her strong ties to Romania were on full display this week at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, where she showcased her Romanian language skills.
Following her dominant 6-0 6-4 first-round victory over Greet Minnen at the WTA 250 event, top seed Raducanu delighted the local crowd by addressing them in Romanian during her on-court interview.
The crowd in Cluj goes crazy after Emma said some words in Romanian 😂🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/7rxcQnAltW
— Lorena Popa 🕵️♀️🎾 (@popalorena) February 2, 2026
The moment was especially appreciated by Simona Halep, Romania’s tennis icon and a former two-time Grand Slam champion, who is serving as an honorary ambassador of the tournament. The former world No. 1 was clearly charmed by the gesture.
Simona Halep smiles on as Emma Raducanu addresses the crowd in her “rusty” Romanian. Top seed Raducanu advances to the second round with her 6-0, 6-4 win over Greet Minnen. #TransylvaniaOpen pic.twitter.com/wzAmnBHFtf
— islandtennisgirl (@islandtennisace) February 2, 2026
Raducanu, 23, is the only child of Ion, a Romanian native from Bucharest, and Renee, who is Chinese and originally from Shenyang. Born in Toronto in 2002, Emma moved to Bromley in south London at the age of two. She holds dual British and Canadian citizenship and speaks three languages: English, Romanian, and Mandarin Chinese.
The win marked Raducanu’s first match victory since her early exit at the Australian Open, where she was eliminated in the second round following a 7-6(3) 6-2 loss to Anastasia Potapova. Shortly after the tournament in Melbourne, Raducanu parted ways with Spanish coach Francis Roig, continuing her search for stability as she looks for the 10th coach of her professional career.
Raducanu will next face Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan on Wednesday in the second round in Cluj-Napoca, as she aims to build momentum and confidence early in the season. (via Tennis World USA)