£100 million girl Emma
Historic place in US Open f inal set to make 18-year-old one of world’s richest sporting stars
BARELY out of school, Emma Raducanu is tipped to earn £100million, win Sports Personality of the Year – and maybe even get an honour from the Queen.
Even before she stepped foot on court last night in the US Open final, the 18-year-old had made modern sporting history, becoming the first British woman to reach a grand slam single finals in 44 years.
Her fairy tale in New York has buoyed a pandemic-weary nation and is the icing on the cake for the prodigious Kent teenager, still celebrating her recent A* in maths and A in economics for her A-levels.
Last night, bookmakers William Hill said Emma was 10-11 favourite to become the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, which will be announced in December.
It would be a remarkable feat in an Olympic year to beat gold medallists such as Tom Daley and Adam Peaty, but the possibility reflects her stratospheric rise since entering this summer’s Wimbledon as a virtual unknown.
If she wins, Emma would become the second youngest person to lift the BBC trophy, after Scottish swimmer Ian Black who won the prize in 1958 at the age of 17. Betfred put her at 4-6 odds-on favourite to win the gong, ahead of Daley at 9-4 and Peaty at 8-1.
William Hill have also given her 10-1 odds to get an honour from the Queen – and she certainly has royal support, with Prince William and Kate cheering her on at home. Rupert
‘Completely fresh and new, gorgeous and always happy’
Adams, a spokesman for the bookmakers, said: ‘I think the BBC Sports Personality of the Year is possible because it celebrates outstanding achievement in sport, which is what she has done already. The fact she is a woman helps, as she will get a lot of female votes as well.
‘In terms of the Queen’s honours, it may be a bit early in her career, but it is possible, if the stars align. You never know, the Government may fancy a really good feel-good story. But it may be like an OBE and not a damehood.’
Until this summer, Emma was ranked outside the top 300 players and had earned just £30,000 in winnings before gaining her wildcard entry at Wimbledon – where she got to the final 16.
Now in demand, she has been interviewed in Vogue magazine and says she has overcome her initial shyness to find her confidence.
Ahead of last night, when the nation came to a halt to watch her take on Leylah Fernandez at Flushing Meadows, she was already guaranteed £900,000 even if she lost – but experts say that is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Brand expert Jonathan Shalit, chairman of the InterTalent Group, said a huge range of companies will now want to sign her up to advertise their brands, adding: ‘I would say that she has the potential to earn £100million over the next five years if she keeps winning.
‘She is completely fresh and new, she is gorgeous and always happy, which is what we are all looking for as we come out of the pandemic.’
Born in Toronto to a Chinese mother and Romanian father, Emma Raducanu – or Radders to her friends – has a broad appeal according to experts and could easily eclipse Naomi Osaka, currently the world’s highest-earning female athlete, who has pocketed £43million on and off the court.
Simon Chadwick, an expert in sport business strategy and marketing, who is global professor of sport at Emlyon Business School in Lyon, France, said:
‘Raducanu is a classic Gen Z teenager – mixed heritage, social media savvy, aspirational, which she combines with what seems like a positive predisposition towards life. Hence, one can imag
ine that some of the deals she already has, with the likes of Nike, could become more lucrative for her.
‘At the same time, some of the big mobile brands as well as digital plat
forms will probably be interested.’ Emma is already managed by Max Eisenbud, of the IMG agency, who secured £20million in sponsorship for tennis star Maria Sharapova.