Emma Raducanu Is Ready For Her Next Chapter
Emma Raducanu isn't nervous. You’d be forgiven for assuming that she might be given her stratospheric – seemingly overnight – explosion to the upper echelons of notoriety after winning the US Open in 2021. But you’d be sorely mistaken.
'Pressure is something that comes with all of this and I'd say that I let it get to me for a long time,' she tells ELLE UK. 'But my perspective has now totally changed. Pressure is a privilege and ultimately if they're not talking about you, it means they don't care.'
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Of course, Bromley-born Raducanu requires little introduction. The only child of two Bucharest-born Ion Răducanu and Renee Zhai (Dongmei) from Shenyang, Raducanu was born in Toronto before moving to the UK at the age of two, just three years before she first started playing tennis at Bromley Tennis Academy. Raducanu was just three years out of school when she won the US Open in New York at the age of 21. Months after her win came her Met Gala debut (clad in Chanel no less), commercial deals with Dior, Nike and Tiffany & Co. and what commentators referred to as one of the most astonishing breakout runs in living memory. In 2022 alone, she's estimated to have made £10 million in endorsement deals. On the surface, her star's explosion paved her path in gold. The reality was quite different.
'I was extremely innocent and naive,' she says. 'That was actually a difficult time for me. It's obvious that you'll meet people with their own agendas in this industry at the top, but it's a difficult lesson.'
In 2023, just two years into her professional career, a carousel of coaches and injury woes left her struggling to string together wins and her ranking dipped from 10th in the world to outside the top 200. Speculation reached fever pitch that she had only ever been pursuing tennis for the endorsement deals. The headlines, which had initially hailed her as a prodigy and a star, turned on her.
How does she handle the intense public scrutiny? She pauses. 'I've calloused myself to people's opinions and what could potentially happen so that when things do happen, I can never say I'm surprised.'
This year, the challenging headlines followed her like a shadow. Following a three-set defeat to qualifier Lulu Sun at Wimbledon, Raducanu woke up with a stiff wrist and informed Andy Murray that she wouldn't be able to compete with him in the mixed doubles in what was supposed to be the 37-year-old’s final appearance in SW19. Instead, Raducanu felt compelled to prioritise her involvement in the singles, even though it denied the two-time champion a final match at the All England Club. A significant amount of fuel was added to the flames following a tweet from Judy Murray, Andy’s mother, who described Raducanu’s decision as 'astonishing'.
The decision wasn't an easy one for Raducanu to make. 'It's very easy for the entire nation and for the press too to be very harsh on me and I think I can be very hard on myself because I'm a perfectionist,' she says. 'It's extremely difficult when something doesn't go to plan. Some losses definitely hurt more than others.'
Once the raging discourse simmered down, Raducanu slowly but surely began her climb in the rankings once again. Her grit and resilience is a credit to her parents, she says. 'They've always put things in perspective, they're great mentors. They were tough on me when I was growing up, and even now they have expectations, but they're a lot more realistic too I'd say.'
It's a lot for such a young person to have to grapple with, but if anything the challenges of the last couple of years have moulded Raducanu into somebody stronger and clearer. She has started playing piano and reading again – Elon Musks' Walter Isaacson-written autobiography is currently top of her list – and in her spare time has taken to painting, a graduation from the intense physicality that her day job demands of her. 'I need to make sure that I'm focusing on myself,' she says. 'I'm trying to be more independent by spending more time alone.'
Success can be a challenging thing to define for yourself away from the expectations of others, but for Raducanu the past three years have provided a pivotal learning curve. Her goal for the future, besides the tournaments and the winning and the losing, is to have no regrets. 'I want to look back and have regrets,' she says. 'I'm not going to regret or waste time, I don't have to feel like I could've done things better.'
For now, amid a summer punctuated by more practices and tournaments, being with her parents provides an escape for her. 'Being at home is the biggest reward for me. I love being in Bromley,' she adds with a smile. 'The greenery, the countryside. It's just so lovely. And if I have some more time I'd like to start horse riding again.'
Make no mistake, whether they're on or off centre court, Raducanu's are two feet that are planted firmly on the ground.
Watch the US Open exclusively live on Sky Sports and streaming service NOW from 26 August. Episode nine of Sky Sports Editions is also available to watch on Sky Sports YouTube.
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