Emma Raducanu rose to a massive level of fame practically overnight, and she recently reflected on that experience.
Back in 2021, Raducanu was 18 years old and ranked No. 150 in the world. Apart from some hardcore fans, not many knew about her, as she entered qualifying for the 2021 US Open.
What ended up happening more than two weeks after she entered that qualifying was something no one could ever be prepared for. Raducanu won all her matches without losing a set to claim the 2021 US Open title.
She went from an unknown player ranked 150th in the world to a global superstar who immediately broke into the Top 25 on the WTA Tour, and everyone suddenly knew about.
She wasn’t ready for it, like no one could be, but over the years, the British player learned how to deal with fame and attention. Still, she remembers the first time she saw paparazzi outside of her house after she came back home from New York, as it was a completely new experience for her.
Raducanu, who recently had to withdraw from multiple tournaments due to an injury, talked to Women’s Health Magazine about that experience and how she dealt with it.
“I remember pulling up and seeing paparazzi outside my house. It was crazy, but as soon as I went inside to my family and friends, everything felt pretty relaxed. My mum had made dumplings, and we all sat around the table chatting.”
Despite having paparazzi outside of her house and all of the media attention on her, Raducanu didn’t want to be necessarily seen. She wanted to enjoy her mother’s dumplings and spend time with her family.
“I didn’t want to do anything fancy or outrageous, I just wanted to enjoy and spend quality time with people I can really be myself with.”
In the same interview, Raducanu also talked about growing up and how difficult it was when she sometimes had to miss some parties or events that her friends could attend.
All of her time was basically divided between her school and tennis, so doing anything else that others of her age could do was almost impossible, which she felt envious of at times.
“There were certain moments where I felt envy – like when there were parties that I couldn’t go to, but at the end of the day, I didn’t know any different. You don’t miss what you don’t know. I knew I wanted to be the best and I knew what I needed to do to get there, so I didn’t think of it as a sacrifice.”
“Newstead is pretty demanding, so it wasn’t like I could take it easy off the court, either. I put all my time into tennis or school, but it was good to have those two different worlds: school and tennis. Each was a break from the other.”