EMMA RADUCANU
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT AS THE BROMLEY TEENAGER TAKES NEW YORK BY STORM
An 18-year-old girl from Kent became the darling of the sporting world last week when Emma Raducanu smashed her way into the record books and secured her place among some of the greatest names in tennis.
After her i mpressive performance at the US Open, the teenager from Bromley has the world at her feet, in awe of her incredible skills, steely composure and effervescent personality.
Not only has she made her mark in history as the first qualifier ever to reach a Grand Slam final, she also has other firsts to her name: the youngest British Grand Slam finalist in 62 years and the first British woman to reach the US Open final since Virginia Wade 53 years ago.
Exuding star quality, Emma has already appeared on the pages of Vogue magazine – giving credence to Judy Murray’s description of Emma as “the new poster girl in British tennis”. She added: “She is the sort of player who can make tennis cool.”
Along with her US Open earnings, she is on track to receive further millions in lucrative sponsorship deals, putting her on the road to becoming 2021’s most bankable sporting star.
It’s hard to believe that just months before her defeat of fellow teenager Maria Sakkari in the Big Apple last Thursday, she was collecting her A-level results from her school in Orpington – an impressive A* in maths and an A in economics. But in July she had burst onto the professional scene by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon.
ROYAL CONGRATULATIONS
Leading the celebrations and congratulations on social media following her triumph in the semifinal was tennis fan the Duchess of Cambridge, who posted on the Kensington Royal Twitter account: “What an incredible achievement at this year’ s# US Open @EmmaRaducanu! We will all be rooting for you tomorrow.” The Wimbledon patron gave a personal
sign off: “Wishing you the best of luck! C.”
Speaking after her victory last week Emma said: “Honestly, the time here has gone so fast. I’m in the final, I can’t believe it.”
The sporting star has been very much influenced by her Chinese mother Renee and Romanian father Ian, who both work in the finance sector and moved to London from Canada when their daughter was two years old.
First picking up a tennis racquet when she was four, she would practise volleys with her father in their Bromley cul-de-sac and was eventually spotted by the Lawn Tennis Association, which led to tennis camps and trips abroad.
SOLID VALUES
“I think that the calmness and the mental strength definitely comes from my upbringing,” said Emma, who also excelled in ballet, horse riding, swimming and basketball as a child. “I think my parents have both instilled in me from a very young age to definitely have a positive attitude on court.
“When I was younger, it was an absolute no-go if I had any sort of bad attitude. So from a young age, I definitely learnt that and it’s followed me until now.”
It’s an attitude that will surely stand her in good stead for many years to come.
See Emma in the October issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands now.
‘ My calmness and the mental strength comes from my upbringing’