RICHARD EDEN: Another loss for Emma Raducanu as Porsche take back freebie

Emma Raducanu fell in love with Porsche as a child because one of her first tennis coaches owned one of its sports cars.

‘Whenever I would turn up to practice in the morning I would see his Porsche,’ she said. ‘I would go, ‘Wow!’ and be dreaming of one day sitting in my own.’

So the grammar school girl couldn’t contain her excitement when she was appointed as a ‘global brand ambassador’ for the German marque after her fairy-tale victory in the US Open single’s final in 2021 at the age of 18. The endorsement deal was said to be worth a huge sum.

She was pictured looking proud – and a little nervous – as she drove to the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, south-west London, in a £125,000 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet, with a top speed of 192mph.

Now, however, I can disclose that the deal could be heading for the scrapyard.

Tennis star Emma Raducanu pictured arriving to practice in a £150,000 Porsche

‘Emma no longer has a Porsche,’ one of her associates tells me. ‘They took it back. It used to have pride of place at her home.’

A Porsche spokesman confirms that she is no longer in possession of one of its vehicles. ‘While we do on occasion loan Emma a car, this is very much on an ad hoc basis,’ he says.

A source who works in the sponsorship business tells me that Porsche is known for the swiftness with which it withdraws its vehicles from celebrity ambassadors if it does not feel that it is achieving value for money.

Raducanu certainly put in some effort for the company, appearing in promotional videos including one in which she drove a 911 GT3 at Brands Hatch in Kent, and another where she did laps with Formula 1 veteran Mark Webber in a 911 Carrera S at Silverstone in Northamptonshire.

After becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open, Raducanu, whose parents work in finance, signed highly lucrative deals with companies including Dior, Evian, HSBC and Vodafone. Her company, Harbour 6 Ltd, recorded a profit of £9.6million last year.

Emma Raducanu celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Leylah Annie Fernandez during their Women’s Singles final match on Day Thirteen of the 2021 US Open

However, she made clear in an interview that owning such an enviable set of wheels hadn’t gone to her head. ‘I’m not just Emma Raducanu who arrives in a Porsche, wears Dior and flies first class,’ she said.

The player, 21, was, however, unable to regain the form that saw her win the US Open. She has suffered a series of injuries, which have required her to undergo three operations.

Kieron Vorster, former strength and conditioning coach to players such as former British No1 Tim Henman, recently said Emma, ‘just doesn’t play enough matches’.

The Porsche spokesman insists that she remains in her role. ‘Emma Raducanu is a global brand ambassador for Porsche and there have not been any changes within our successful partnership since it started in 2022,’ he says. ‘We are very happy with our partnership.’