Emma Raducanu has begun her pre-season workouts, which include a little splash tennis. In the latest episode of Nike's "Sports Lab," she swapped tennis balls for water balloons in the ultimate and possibly most unique tennis challenge.
Raducanu began by opening a large Nike box with all of the necessary equipment and clothing. A Wilson tennis racquet, a Bullseye, water balloons, and a poncho were among the items she discovered inside. Before putting her target abilities to the test, the Brit quickly put it on.
The goal was to score points by smashing as many water balloons as possible onto the target. She started out feeling fairly secure, but that soon gave way to confusion as she wondered aloud, "What is going on?" It turns out that hitting a Bullseye target with water balloons is far more difficult than it appears. "I don't think it's me that's that bad," she said.
The world# 19 shot water balloons all over the place before landing a few and earning some points. It took some getting used to, but she eventually made her way up the scoreboard and had a good time doing it. Dancer events took over before the Sports Lab program ended and demonstrated how dance can represent all emotions.
The 19-year-old had an incredible 2021 season, winning the US Open in September and becoming the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam. She has struggled to string together three consecutive victories in her last three events since her record run. She'll definitely be ready to start 2022 on a winning note, but for now, she's taking advantage of the off-season by jet skiing.