Following her 7-6(8-6), 6-4 victory over Emma Raducanu in the third round of Wimbledon 2025 on July 4, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka displayed sportsmanship by sharing a heartfelt message on social media, responding to Raducanu’s gracious post-match sentiments. Raducanu, the British No. 1 ranked No. 40, took to Instagram to express gratitude for the “thrilling energy and atmosphere” at Centre Court and wished Sabalenka luck, writing, “Many feelings to compute but that was a mega night to have been part of. Good luck for the rest of the way, @arynasabalenka.” Sabalenka replied, “You played incredibly good. I’m sure we are going to play big matches in the future,” per *The Mirror US* and *Sportskeeda*.[]
The gesture came after a fiercely competitive match where Raducanu pushed Sabalenka to the limit, saving seven set points in the first set and leading 4-1 in the second, before Sabalenka’s power (31 winners, 78% first-serve win rate) prevailed, per *The Athletic*. Raducanu, fighting back tears, admitted to feeling “self-critical” but took pride in competing with “a great champion,” per *Express.co.uk*. She also acknowledged a costly “rookie mistake” of playing too safely, as Sabalenka noted, and criticized a “dodgy” Hawk-Eye call that disrupted her momentum, per *Sportskeeda*.
Sabalenka’s message echoed her on-court praise, where she tipped Raducanu for a top-10 return, saying, “She’s fighting. She’s playing much better. She’s more consistent. I can see that mentally she’s healthy,” per *The Guardian*. Raducanu, while appreciative, told *Sky News* she still sees a gap in converting big moments, a lesson she’ll carry to the US Open, where she’ll partner with Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles, per *The Mirror*. Fans on X, like @Tennis_Gazette, celebrated the exchange, noting the mutual respect, per @Tennis_Gazette (July 5, 2025).
