Raducanu receives special message from Li Na while accepting Laureus Award

British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu has received numerous accolades since winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, and the 19-year old was honored with yet another distinction when she was granted the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award.

The aforementioned award honors the achievements of those individuals or teams who have made a breakthrough performance in the world of sports. Raducanu was chosen to be the latest recipient, following her inspiring performance at last year's US Open that has since seen her rise to a career-high ranking of World No.11.

Honoring Raducanu with the accolade, the Laureus Award took to their Instagram handle to upload a video. The post featured Raducanu holding the award, giving an acceptance message. In the message, she expressed her thankful gratitude towards the Laureus Academy.

“Thank you so much to the Laureus Academy for voting. It means so much to receive this award and I really want to congratulate my other nominees," said the Brit. "I feel like it’s been a really great year for me but I’ve still got a lot of work to do. Thank you very much.”

However, there was more to the video as Raducanu received a special congratulatory message from retired two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na, who became a member of the Laureus Academy in 2016.

"Hey Emma, Li Na here to say congratulations," said the former World No.2. "I’m happy as a member of the academy that my colleagues and I have chosen you as the winner of the Laureus Breakthrough of the year.”

Replying to Li’s message, Raducanu said, “Wow! Thank you so much Li Na. It means a lot to get this message from you. You’ve been a huge inspiration to me all of my career. I remember watching you. So thank you so much.”

Raducanu is scheduled to compete at the Madrid Open, which kicks off on April 28th.