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Who Is Emma Raducanu?

10 Things to Know About Tennis Star Emma Raducanu

Jan 2 2024

Emma Raducanu was catapulted to tennis stardom not long after she went professional in 2018. Just four years later, she became the Women's Tennis Association's number-one British player and the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title at the US Open since Virginia Wade in 1977.

Previously referring to herself as "the underdog" and being described by others as "the British player with the most potential of her generation", Raducanu has certainly come on leaps and bounds over the past few years. Besides her natural gift and dedication to the sport, the young player won the admiration of many when she retired in the second set of her fourth round match against Ajla Tomljanović at Wimbledon in 2021. The star was experiencing breathing difficulties and sickness after the overwhelming experience "caught up with" her. All of this took place in the midst of her A Level exams, and she still managed to achieve an A* in maths and an A in economics.

Since then, Raducanu has been plagued by injuries. Having undergone two operations on her wrist and surgery on her ankle, the 21-year-old has taken eight months out to recover, seeing her drop down the World Rankings. However, she has worked tirelessly to get back up to speed and won her first match back against Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the Auckland Classic on 2 Jan., 2024. "It's difficult after having such a long hiatus, but I'm grateful to be healthy, grateful to be able to move my body, not bed-ridden and in a wheelchair," she said after her win.

Raducanu's inspiration on the court was recognised as she was named Sports Personality of the Year in December 2021. She went on to beat tennis greats such as Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in August 2022, too, before taking some time out.

The popular sports woman also managed to secure a number of high-profile partnerships that have seen her become a firm favourite in the world of fashion, too. She is an ambassador for jewellery brand Tiffany & Co. and designer label Dior. Raducanu has starred in an advert for Sports Direct and for bottled water brand Evian alongside Dua Lipa. Looking to know more about the tennis star? Here's some fun facts about your favourite tennis player.

— Additional reporting by Emily Weaver

Image Source: Getty/Frey/TPN

Emma Raducanu Has Dual Citizenship

Raducanu is a dual citizen of Canada and Great Britain. While she plays tennis for Great Britain, she was actually born in Toronto, Canada. She moved to England in 2004 at the age of 2 and was raised in Bromley, south-east London.

Her father Ion Răducanu is from Bucharest, Romania, and her mother Renee Zhai (originally known as Dongmei) is from Shenyang, China. She is strongly connected to both sides of her heritage and speaks both Romanian and Mandarin.

"I grew up here, so I feel British. But I'm influenced by the cultures of both my parents," she said in an Elle interview in May 2022. "My mum instilled respect for everyone as a big part of my life. There's also mental toughness and strength – not necessarily through being confident and everyone knowing that you are, but having that inner sense of belief. I feel like it's a big thing in Asian culture."

Image Source: Getty/Mike Marsland

Emma Raducanu Is an A-Grade Student

In addition to breaking records and competing in some of the top tennis championships in the world, Raducanu was also a full-time student studying for her A'Levels in economics and maths. "It was a bit of an escape for me, to have another thing going alongside my tennis," she told The Sun about studying. "It's actually helped me with my on-court career as I can absorb a lot of information. On court I'm more tactically astute than some others."

According to The Mirror, Raducanu achieved three 9s and four 8s in her GCSEs. In her A'Levels, she achieved an A* in maths and an A in Economics.

Emma Raducanu Is a Scorpio

Born on 13 Nov. 2002, Raducanu is a strong, passionate, and confident Scorpio. Lots of athletes share the same sign including Caitlyn Jenner and Devin Booker, which makes sense because Scorpio is said to be the most resilient and hardworking sign. We can definitely see the Scorpio in Raducanu!

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Raducanu Was a 2021 Wimbledon Wild Card

Any internationally ranked tennis player can sign up to play at Wimbledon, but only the top 104 participants are selected to compete along with an additional 16 players, who first have to earn their spot by winning three rounds in qualifying. Raducanu went into Wimbledon 2021 ranked 338th in the world, so how did she score a spot on one of the biggest stages in tennis? She was one of the seven women players to be awarded a wild card, meaning she was a shoo-in for the main draw. It was only her second Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour appearance. Even though she retired from the tournament early, it's still an impressive feat.

Image Source: Getty / Clive Brunskill / Staff

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Prior to Tennis, Emma Raducanu Was Into Motocross

If tennis doesn't work out for Raducanu, she always has motocross to fall back on. Speaking with The Sunday Times, Raducanu reminisced about her pre-tennis sports career, sharing that her parents encouraged her to try everything, including motocross. "I started my very short go-karting career in a bus garage in Streatham before going to a proper track. From the age of nine, I started motocross in a forest somewhere for a year. This was all alongside tennis," she said. While her motocross days are behind her, Raducanu still likes to post a throwback photo of her "baby kawa" on Instagram every now and again.

Emma Raducanu Is Inspired by Li Na

Raducanu is often praised for her composure and the calm and humble nature in which she handles herself. Although she has listed Andy Murray and Serena Williams among the people that inspire her in the game, it is ex-professional Chinese player Li Na who inspires her mentally.

After a match at theUS Open in 2021, Raducanu said: "I think for me when I was younger I would take a lot of inspiration from Li Na, even now just the way she was such a fierce competitor. I think all her belief, she had extremely good weapons, her movement, her mentality, but her inner strength and belief really stood out for me. I remember watching her play Schiavone in French Open final. That was definitely a long, tough match. But the amount of mental strength and resilience she showed, that match still sticks in my head today."

"The way that I'm approaching my matches is each time I'm thinking to myself, 'Why not?' Like today, I was like, 'Someone has to be in the second week, why not me?'" Raducanu said during her 2021 Wimbledon run. "I'm just trying to stay here as long as possible."

Image Source: Getty / Barrington Coombs

Emma Raducanu Is a Big Formula One Racing Fan

Raducanu's need for speed didn't end with motocross — she's also a devoted fan of Formula One racing, even taking in a race from her room at Wimbledon last year. In fact, she draws inspiration from the sport, though it's very different from her own.

"As tennis players, we can learn a lot from [the drivers'] reactions — you have to see everything so fast because the speeds that they're going at are unbelievable. Those reactions and instincts can relate a lot to tennis," she said during an interview at the 2020 UK Pro Classic. "The intensity of the focus is also similar and transferrable, but tennis is a lot more luxurious — if you make a mistake it's not the end of the world but in F1 if you make a mistake, you're in the wall."

Emma Raducanu and Tennis Great Andy Murray Have a Mutual Connection

Raducanu has previously had a personal connection to fellow British tennis player Andy Murray: his father-in-law was her personal trainer! Nigel Sears — whose daughter Kim Sears shares four kids with Murray — worked with Raducanu on and off until 2021.

"Quite frankly, I think the sky's the limit," Sears said in an interview when asked about Raducanu's talent. "She has the necessary qualities and she's hungry enough and eager to learn. She's ambitious and given the right opportunities and match experience, she'll make good progress." Murray has also publicly supported Raducanu, specifically when she received criticism for stepping down from her Wimbledon match after suffering from a panic attack.

Raducanu even said in her Elle UK interview that her dream would be to play doubles with Murray one day. Watch this space!

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Emma Raducanu Supports Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Raducanu is a Spurs fan, revealing in 2021 that Harry Kane inspired her decision. After rocking a Tottenham Hotspur shirt on the practise courts of at the Porsche Arena, she said: "My whole team basically are big Spurs fans and I feel like they're egging me on. They're desperately trying to get me behind them. I don't necessarily follow football so much, but I feel like now because of them I'm feeling some sort of connection."

The tennis champion went on to say that she "loved following the Euros [in 2021] and watching Harry Kane, who's obviously the England captain, and, I'm a big fan of him as well. So yeah, I like to dabble."

Image Source: Getty / Robert Prange

Emma Raducanu Has Raised Awareness of Performance Anxiety

Despite her young age, Raducanu has proved she is wise beyond her years. Knowing when her mental health is suffering, she has spoken of the pressure she felt after her groundbreaking US Open win. ""I very much attach my self-worth to my achievements. If I lost a match I would be really down, I would have a day of mourning, literally staring at the wall. I feel things so passionately and intensely," she told ESPN.

The struggle to hide her real feelings became too much, and so she chose to be transparent about the competitive nature of sport. "I was under so much pressure to perform, people had no idea what was going on and I had to have this façade, to keep everything inside. It has been really hard," she added. "And then to be scrutinised for it when they don't know what is going on. I am very young and still learning and making mistakes. It is a lot harder when you are making mistakes in front of everyone, and everyone has something to say about it."

Image Source: Getty/Frey/TPN

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