London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Nov 04, 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
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
UK Report Backs Generational Smoking Ban Ahead of Tobacco & Vapes Bill Review
UK’s Domino’s Pizza Group Reports Modest Like-for-Like Sales Growth in Q3
UK Supplies Additional Storm Shadow Missiles to Ukraine as Trump Alleges Russian Underground Nuclear Tests
High-Profile Broodmare Puca Sells for Five Million Dollars at Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of the Stars’
Wilt Chamberlain’s One-of-a-Kind ‘Searcher 1’ Supercar Heads to Auction
Erling Haaland’s Remarkable Run: 13 Premier League Goals in 10 Matches and Eyes on History
UK Labour Peer Warns of Emerging ‘Constituency for Hating Jews’ in Britain
UK Home Secretary Admits Loss of Border Control, Warns Public Trust at Risk
President Trump Expresses Sympathy for UK Royal Family After Title Stripping of Prince Andrew
Former Prince Andrew to Lose His Last Military Title as King Charles Moves to End His Public Role
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
King Charles Strips Prince Andrew of Titles and Royal Residence
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
Amazon Shares Soar 11% as Cloud Business Hits Fastest Growth Since 2022
Credit Markets Flooded with More Than $200 Billion of AI-Linked Debt Issuance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Says China Made 'a Real Mistake' by Threatening Rare-Earth Exports
Report Claims Nearly Two Billion Dollars in Foreign Charity Funds Flowed into U.S. Advocacy Groups
White House Refutes Reports That US Targeting Military Sites in Venezuela
Meta Seeks Dismissal of Strike 3’s $350 Million Copyright Lawsuit
Apple Exceeds Forecasts With $102.5 Billion Q3 Revenue Despite iPhone Miss
Israel's IDF Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi Admits to Act Amounting to Aiding Hamas During Wartime (Treason)
Shawbrook IPO Marks London’s Biggest UK Listing in Two Years
UK Government Split Over Backing Brazil’s $125 Billion Tropical Forest Fund Ahead of COP30
J.K. Rowling Condemns Glamour UK Feature of Nine Trans Women as 'Men Better at Being Women'
King Charles III Removes Prince Andrew’s Titles and Orders His Departure from Royal Lodge
UK Finance Minister Reeves Releases Email Correspondence to Clarify Rental-Licence Breach
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
×