Kate Middleton Shows Off ‘Incredible’ Tennis Skills with U.S. Open Winner Emma Raducanu

Kate Middleton might be the future Queen Consort of England, but even she gets starstruck on occasion.

This week, the Duchess of Cambridge attended a homecoming celebration for Great Britain’s U.S. Open champions, including Joe Salisbury, Alfie Hewitt, Gordon Reid and Grand Slam winner Emma Raducanu.

Middleton could hardly contain her excitement when she greeted the athletes. “Amazing, guys. Honestly, congratulations to all of you,” she said, according to Hello! magazine. “It’s seriously impressive.”

Middleton listened to each player share details about their experience from the U.S. Open. She also partnered up with Raducanu for a doubles match and impressed the group with her athletic abilities. (FYI: The royal reportedly used to take private tennis lessons.)

After the event, Raducanu discussed the duchess’s tennis skills and revealed that it was extremely nerve-wracking. “I was actually very nervous playing the Duchess—I was like: ‘Don’t miss, don’t miss,’” she said. “Her forehand was incredible. I was very impressed. It was a lot of fun to play tennis with the duchess.”

The homecoming event was hosted by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) at the National Tennis Centre in London. The duchess’s involvement shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. First, she’s been a royal patron of the LTA since 2017. Second, she’s a longtime tennis supporter (and Wimbledon attendee). And lastly, Middleton virtually supported Raducanu throughout the entire tournament, so it was only a matter of time before they met face to face.

Stay up-to-date on every breaking royal family story by subscribing here.