Emma had just £44 in the bank before her big win
GB No1 shines in tough cup tie
EMMA Raducanu had just £44 in her company account before her stunning win at the US Open made her an estimated £12million fortune.
The 19-year-old set up Harbour 6 limited in February 2020 as its sole director. The company filed its first set of accounts this week, covering the period to February 2021.
They showed Miss Raducanu had total assets of £55,682 but owed creditors £54,888 – leaving her £ 94. Another £ 50 was subtracted as ‘provision for liabilities’, leaving her with only £44.
The figures illustrate just how vertiginous the British teenager’s rise has been, from Orpington schoolgirl to winning £1.8million in prize money at the US Open last September. She went on to sign huge endorsement deals with the likes of Porsche, Evian and Dior, and has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year and an MBE in the New Year honours.
Miss Raducanu also has deals with Vodafone, said to be worth £3million a year, Tiffany & Co, whose jewels she wears on the court, Nike, Wilson rackets, and she is a global ambassador for British Airways.
Yesterday she won her Billie Jean King Cup debut match in straight sets – the first time she has played on a clay court as a senior player.
FROm Emma Raducanu came a sharp reminder that she is much more than a shock major champion and a sponsorship opportunity waiting to happen. She stepped out to play a first clay court match yesterday, her first senior outing in a GB shirt, and gave another taste of why she has already achieved extraordinary things in her first 12 months on tour.
making light of her inexperience, she levelled Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup tie against the formidable Czech Republic team at 1-1 with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over world No50 Tereza martincova.
While not an upset on paper, a straightsets win was definitely not the expected outcome on clay, the surface which so often bamboozles those who have rarely set foot on it.
In Raducanu’s case, she had not played any kind of match on the dirt since the 2018 French Open junior event, but had the resourcefulness to work it out as she went along.
Her tendency to blow a decent start, seen since that extraordinary triumph, was banished on this occasion to make it her best performance since Flushing meadows.
‘This year, I’ve been playing really good tennis for a set, maybe a set-and-a-half, then my energy dips,’ she said.
‘And then I find myself in an absolute battle and it lets me down — but today it’s another step in the right direction because I’ve managed to overcome that. I’m doing everything off the court to be the best I can. I’m pleased with the way I upped my intensity after trailing 4-1 in the second set. The conditions were windy and they changed a lot, so this one means a lot.’
The pivotal game came at 4-4 in the second set when the GB No1 withstood huge pressure to hold on to her serve, showing bloody-minded determination and impressive reserves of energy.
‘I thought that was a really gutsy performance from Emma. For her to be able to close that match out in straight sets, it took a huge effort,’ said GB captain Anne Keothavong.
A shock GB win in the tie, which would guarantee a place in November’s finals, remains a long shot with two singles and a doubles match to play.
Today Raducanu faces marketa Vondrousova, who she upset in Wimbledon’s second round last summer. Repeating that result on clay would be an even more significant result.
Vondrousova reached the 2019 French Open final and earlier showed her class on this surface to overwhelm British No2 Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-0, who also served seven double faults.
Keothavong might be tempted to throw in one of her reserve players such as 20-year-old Sonay Kartal to play the second singles today.
The Czechs have such strength in depth that they have plenty of options to counter any surprise pick from the skipper.