Gary Lineker and Emma Raducanu share selfie after chance encounter

Gary Lineker and Emma Raducanu shared a selfie after a chance encounter between the pair.

Lineker, a TV presenter and former footballer, has been a long-term fan of the British tennis player.

He broke his own Match of the Day protocol after Raducanu’s improbable victory at the US Open in September, posting on Twitter while he was live on air.

“First time in my life I’ve ever tweeted whilst on air but my goodness what a performance, what a triumph, what an amazing young woman,” he said.

“Congratulations @EmmaRaducanu on a truly staggering achievement. US Open winner at 18 without losing a set. Extraordinarily fabulous.”

The pair have now finally had their first meeting – and seemingly by chance.

Just bumped into the brilliant @EmmaRaducanu. So as it’s #NationalSelfieDay here you go: pic.twitter.com/GLuDnm4bWZ

Lineker shared a selfie of the duo on Twitter with the caption: “Just bumped into the brilliant @EmmaRaducanu. So as it’s #NationalSelfieDay here you go:”.

Raducanu is currently preparing for Wimbledon, which gets underway on June 27th, but is doing so with only 33 minutes of competitive tennis on grass so far this season.

At the Nottingham Open, her first grass-court tournament of the season, Raducanu was forced to withdraw after just seven games of her first-round match with a side strain.

The 19-year-old then withdrew from the Birmingham Classic, and did not request a wildcard at the Eastbourne International, used by many tennis players as a warm-up to Wimbledon.

Raducanu has been blighted by injury since her victory at Flushing Meadows – she was hampered by her back at Indian Wells, the ​​Miami Open, Madrid Open and Italian Open, and was forced to retire from her first-round match at the Guadalajara Open with a