‘Close circle’ all that matters to Raducanu

Emma Raducanu insists she is not concerned by public perceptions of her as she reflects on a memorable year.

The teenager took the world by storm as she created history by winning the US Open just two months after making an impressive debut run to the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Raducanu, who put her career on hold to concentrate on her A-levels during the pandemic, saw her life change immediately as the red-carpet invitations and high-end sponsorship deals followed.

That led to some criticism, with England rugby coach Eddie Jones suggesting the 19-year-old had been distracted by off-court events.

“To me the things that matter are the expectations of myself and what I want to achieve and what I want to get out of the day,” she told Sky News.

“It’s just about improving and seeing yourself get better and I don’t take anyone else’s opinions into account except for my close circle.”

She had played just one WTA Tour level tournament prior to her Wimbledon debut before embarking on an incredible run of wins at Flushing Meadows, posting 10 victories, all without dropping a set.

“Wimbledon was the first moment I was being competitive on a global scale. Obviously there was so much excitement going on and adrenaline I’d never felt before, because it was the first time,” Raducanu said.

“I was so proud and happy being at home playing in front of home crowd, it was such a special feeling especially out there on Court One, the biggest court I’ve ever played on.

“The best memories I have of New York is the amount of fun I had out there. I definitely felt I faced my own sort of obstacles and the way I overcame those.”