Emma Raducanu – Britain’s new superstar!

Last month many of us witnessed the first qualifier in the tennis Open era to win a Grand Slam singles title as 18-year-old Emma Raducanu won the US Open to become the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade 44 years ago at Wimbledon.  

Emma Raducanu was born 13 November 2002 and became only the fourth British woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open era, and the youngest British Grand Slam finalist since 1959. After being ranked 336 in the world, she now has a career-high Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of world No. 22 and is the current British No. 1. Raducanu was born in Toronto, raised in Bromley and made her WTA Tour debut in June this year. 

At Wimbledon she was entered as a wild card and managed to reach the last sixteen in her first major tournament. Having beaten two top-50 players at the All England Club, she had to retire from the fourth-round match with breathing difficulties and dizziness when trailing 6-4 3-0 against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. She put this down to the intensity that other players would have been used to and her body simply wasn’t ready. Fast forward then as she played more matches leading up to the US Open – reaching the quarter-finals of an ITF Tour event in Pennsylvania and the final of a WTA Challenger event in Chicago – and then coming through three rounds of qualifying at Flushing Meadows to build up her strength and stamina. 

What about her background then? Her father, Ian is from Bucharest in Romania while her mother, Renee originates from Shenyang, China and she and her family moved to England when she was just two years old. Raducanu started playing tennis at the age of five but as a child, she was a keen sportswoman participating in various activities, including basketball, golf, karting, motocross, skiing, and horse riding.

But she wasn’t even a teenager when a decision had to be made about her future. Motorcross and motorsports were her passion, but as her tennis career progressed, she realised she couldn’t carry on with her passion and opted for the tennis racket as the way forward.

After first grabbing a tennis racket thirteen years ago, Raducanu went on to join the Bromley Tennis Academy before her potential was spotted by the Lawn Tennis Association. The governing body took Raducanu under its wing, with the youngster taking part in camps and trips abroad before progressing through the age groups.

While that support has clearly been important, her parents’ influence has undoubtedly also helped as the teenager displays composure on the court as well as appearing to be grounded off it.

“I think that the calmness and the mental strength definitely comes from my upbringing, I think my parents have both instilled in me from a very young age to definitely have a positive attitude on court.”

Unfortunately, her parents were unable to see any of her matches or her triumph in person because of the then strict travel restrictions to the United States.

While Raducanu holds both British and Canadian citizenship, she also is fluent in English, Romanian and Chinese. Smiling, chatty, polite and seemingly taking it all in her stride, Raducanu appears very comfortable in the spotlight, both with fans and in post-match interviews.

However, there are no guarantees that young players with talent will continue to be successful. An example is Britain’s Laura Robson who reached the US Open fourth round as an 18-year-old in 2012 before her career was derailed by injury. But if Raducanu does stay healthy, former Grand Slam champions Martina Navratilova and Virginia Wade predict she will win multiple Grand Slam titles.

“When you see that kind of talent, that won’t be denied. The only thing that could deny is her body,” said 18 major singles titles winner Navratilova, while British legend Wade agrees. “No question – I’m sure she will win majors… She will be sharing them with a handful who will be dominating the game.”

While Eastbourne’s Johanna Konta has reached two Grand Slam semi-finals in recent years, there is certainly a buzz around the future for Raducanu.

Wade remarked: “girls are very mature really at 18. She is smart she thinks very well, and she talks very well… I think she is going to be able to handle it, but there is an awful lot she will have to handle.”

Not least after the announcement that Raducanu was splitting with Andrew Richardson, a former British tour player who coached her to her US Open title after he’d replaced Nigel Sears. The latter had guided her through Wimbledon and had coached former top-five ranked players Ana Ivanovic and Daniela Hantuchova. With rumours abound about who would step up to the challenge, including former British Number One men’s player Andy Murray being mentioned, at the time of writing no decision had been made.

After spending some well-deserved time off with her family, last month, she picked up her racket again for a few practice games with the Duchess of Cambridge at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre, but her focus is now on preparations for a return to competitive action. The 18-year-old is competing at the Indian Wells Masters this month, the biggest event left on the calendar this season and will then leave for Romania to play in the Transylvania Open. Ultimately though, her sights will be set on the first Slam of 2022, the Australian Open title. 

In the meantime, she appears to be everyone’s favourite to win this year’s Sports Personality of the Year. That would be an incredible end to an absolutely incredible year.