Emma Raducanu reshares post on late NBA legend Kobe Bryant amid Nike's 'Year of the Mamba' commercial launch
Emma Raducanu paid tribute to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Raducanu gave a heartfelt shoutout to Nike's latest "Year of the Mamba" commercial.
The "Year of the Mamba" campaign, launched by Nike in January 2025, coincides with the Lunar New Year, traditionally known as the Year of the Snake. The campaign is designed to honor Kobe Bryant's relentless pursuit of excellence, a mindset he famously called the "Mamba Mentality."
Nike's "Year of the Mamba" campaign features an inspirational quote attributed to Bryant:
"Deciding to have the hardest year can be the greatest year of your life."
Raducanu, a Nike athlete herself, took to her Instagram stories on January 20, 2025, to spread the word about Nike's campaign.
The campaign's new collection includes standout footwear like the Kobe 5 Protro "Year of Mamba," Kobe 9 Elite High Protro "Masterpiece," and Kobe 6 Protro "Sail." Additionally, the apparel line boasts performance tees, sweatpants, and a striking silk bomber jacket adorned with a gold snake motif, symbolizing resilience and strength.
Raducanu recently concluded her 2025 Australian Open campaign in Melbourne. The World No. 61 cruised past 26th-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova to reach her maiden third round, where she lost 1-6, 0-6 to second-seed Iga Swiatek.
Emma Raducanu takes responsibility for one-sided defeat to Iga Swiatek at Australian Open 3R
Emma Raducanu owned up to her subpar performance in her lopsided third-round defeat against Iga Swiatek at the 2025 Australian Open.
In her post-match interview, the Brit attributed the defeat to her underperformance and the Pole's excellent play.
"I think, it was a match - going into it, I knew I had to play really well when you're facing a top player. And I think today, credit to Iga, she played good tennis. But I think it was a little bit of her playing well and me not playing so well. So, that combination is probably not good and resulted in today," Raducanu said.
The British tennis star mentioned that Swiatek's powerful spin, combined with the challenging weather, made the ball bounce higher, complicating the match further.
"Obviously, she's a great player, moves really well, and defends well. I just felt like certain aspects of my own game weren't necessarily firing," she added.
Following this matchup, Iga Swiatek extended her dominating head-to-head record against Emma Raducanu to 3-0. Swiatek went on to reach her second Australian Open quarterfinal, where she will take on eighth-seed Emma Navarro on January 21, 2025. The winner of this match will face either 19th seed Madison Keys or 28th seed Elina Svitolina.