Jane, set and match to Emma Raducanu
THE strawberries are succulent.The queues are mannerly. We are gearing up for a wonderful Wimbledon and mouthing silent prayers for the stellar success of enchanting Emma Raducanu. She smashed the US Open without dropping a set, delighted us with her grace and modesty and impressed us all with her down-to-earth response.
But then we worried about her.Would the prizes and plaudits derail her? We agonised over the glamorous sponsorship deals.Would the glitz get to her? Might she be subsumed into the world of commerce and be so ensnared by filthy lucre that she forgot to practise her backhand? Had the golden girl shone too brightly too soon?
Comfort, however, is in sight. Emma’s childhood coach, Jane O’Donoghue of the Lawn Tennis Association, is taking a break from her banking career to be her guiding star. Described as an “invisible mentor”, O’Donoghue has been guiding Emma’s development since the star was 13. Jane’s a Wimbledon veteran, losing to Venus Williams on Centre Court in 2002. She’s bright, understated and 100 per cent Team Emma. Thank heavens! Poor Emma has been injury-prone, and has struggled in the glare of the world’s gaze to recover her US Open form. She needs security, an anchor and a firm but fair force to pilot her back to dazzling delivery.
JUST imagine a similar scenario. The chips are down. You are facing the most pressured challenges of an already pressurised life and into the picture strolls your first kindergarten teacher. Let’s call her Miss Evans. She is wearing the same pink cardigan and sensible skirt she favoured when you were a frightened infant. She smells of lavender and her handbag brims with plasticine, plasters and stickers. She smiles. Suddenly you’re knee-high to a grasshopper and all is right with the world.
Miss Evans knew you way back when and is not bothered by fame, fortune or great expectations. She remembers the real you, before anyone but your parents gave a damn. She represents constancy, unflappable calm and excellent advice.
I don’t know if Ms O’Donoghue is quite that person, but I can’t help believing she’ll do the trick for Emma.
Of course, the whole shebang might have gone thoroughly and dramatically wrong, but I sincerely hope not, and fervently believe in the power of such mentors.