London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 13, 2025

Resilient Raducanu basks in New York fame

Resilient Raducanu basks in New York fame

Less than three weeks ago, Emma Raducanu began battling for her place in the US Open main draw.

On Monday, she stumbled across a giant billboard of her face on the streets of New York as she squeezed some sightseeing between appearances on prime-time American breakfast television.

It is this unexpected, unpredictable change in circumstances that has made the 18-year-old's first Grand Slam title front-page news around the world.

Raducanu has not only made British history as the country's first woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in 44 years, but becoming the first qualifier to win a major means she has made tennis history too.

Despite the high stakes, the teenager has sailed through the past few weeks with a look of composed joy on her face and the fallout to the biggest win of her career has been no different.

Raducanu looked as poised as ever when faced with the Good Morning America panel in the show's Times Square studio and there she explained how she reached such levels of resilience so young.

"From a young age I've always been brought up to have mental strength," she said on the ABC show.

"My parents played a huge part in my upbringing. They were pretty tough on me when I was young and it kind of shaped the way.

"I think now it is helping on the biggest stages in the world when you really need it."

Raducanu described her Chinese mother Renee and Romanian father Ian as her "toughest critics" and "very hard to please".

"But I got them with this one," she joked. "They couldn't resist.

"It was really nice to talk to them after I won. They were just so happy and proud of me."

Grounded Raducanu 'trying to enjoy the moment'


As well as her parents, it seems Raducanu's coaching team has had an important role to play in keeping her grounded.

The Canada-born player received a letter from the Queen after beating Leylah Fernandez in the final at Flushing Meadows and David Beckham and Lewis Hamilton were among the British sports stars to comment on her Instagram post with the trophy.

Raducanu says she was "honoured" by the Queen's message and will be framing it and keeping it in her room, but it was only with those closest to her that she wanted to celebrate on the night.

"I haven't even checked my messages yet," she said.

"I've just been trying to enjoy the moment. With my team the night of the final we just had a really nice night reflecting.

"Everything has gone so fast. We were taking care of every single day and before you know it three weeks had gone.

"We just got to reflect and share a few stories and it was a really nice night to have with everyone."


'Wimbledon retirement was physical issue'


As if further proof were needed that Raducanu is not getting ahead of herself, in one post-match interview the first use she could think of for her £1.8m prize money was a pair of headphones to replace some she lost in the changing rooms after her first-round qualifying win.

Now ranked 23rd in the world - having climbed 127 places in two weeks - and the new British number one, Raducanu is eager to keep up the hard work.

She suggested her retirement during a fourth-round match at Wimbledon against Ajla Tomljanovic due to breathing difficulties was a fitness issue, but believes that adversity was an important step in her rise to the top.

"I took away that it was for me more of a physical issue," she said.

"To win a Grand Slam you need a lot of mental strength so I think the resilience part of it sort of speaks for itself.

"I needed to go through all of that to win a Slam. Physically I've still got a lot of work to do because I'm still new to the game and haven't had time to really develop.

"On tour for the last four or five weeks I think naturally with each match and tournament I've played I've just increased my endurance a bit."

Where will Raducanu play next?


Raducanu may yet compete in the Indian Wells tournament which begins in California on 7 October, although she would have to enter the WTA event as a wildcard because the entry list has already been published.

The season-ending WTA Finals take place in Guadalajara, Mexico in November and the year's top-eight players will qualify.

Making the grade for that event is a big ask for Raducanu but, after the past few weeks, if anyone is up to the challenge it is surely the newly crowned US Open champion.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
×