Emma Raducanu, the British tennis prodigy who captivated the world with her 2021 US Open triumph, has always known how to keep her audience guessing—both on and off the court. In the summer of 2022, as she prepared to defend her Grand Slam title in New York, the then-19-year-old decided to stir the pot with a cheeky prank that had her friends and fans buzzing. “I told all my friends I was going blonde, just to see their reactions,” Raducanu revealed with a mischievous smile during an exclusive interview at the Hotel du Vin Cannizaro House in Wimbledon, where she was propped up on plush pillows for an ES Magazine photoshoot. The confession, delivered with her signature blend of charm and wit, underscored a side of Raducanu rarely seen amid her intense tennis schedule: a playful spirit eager to shake things up.
The idea of going blonde wasn’t just a whim—it was a reflection of Raducanu’s desire to mirror the seismic shifts in her life with a bold transformation. Her meteoric rise from a relatively unknown qualifier to a Grand Slam champion at 18 had turned her world upside down. Born to a Romanian father, Ian, and a Chinese mother, Renee, in Toronto before moving to Bromley, Kent, at age two, Raducanu’s diverse upbringing shaped her resilience and adaptability. After her 2021 US Open victory, which saw her defeat Leylah Fernandez in straight sets to become the first qualifier to win a major, she found herself navigating newfound fame. “I went into the salon wanting a change,” she admitted, hinting at a desire to reinvent herself visually to match her transformed reality. The blonde prank, though, was more about testing her friends’ reactions than committing to a drastic dye job. To her mild disappointment, they barely batted an eye. “They weren’t surprised,” she said, her tone carrying a hint of deflation, as if her Grand Slam heroics had already set the bar too high for mere hair color to shock.
Raducanu’s lighthearted jest came at a pivotal moment. As she warmed up for the 2022 US Open, the pressure of defending her title loomed large. Her rapid ascent had brought lucrative sponsorships with brands like Nike, Dior, and Tiffany & Co., alongside predictions she could become the first female athlete to amass a billion-dollar fortune. Yet, the spotlight also amplified scrutiny. She’d faced criticism for her focus, with some questioning whether her off-court endorsements were distracting from her game. “I’m doing a post in the car, heading to training, and ready that: I don’t focus on tennis!?” she once remarked, brushing off the naysayers with her characteristic defiance. The blonde prank, in a way, was her way of reclaiming the narrative, a reminder that beneath the global stardom, she was still a young woman finding her footing.
Though Raducanu didn’t go full blonde, she did embrace a subtle transformation. At John Frieda’s prestigious Margaret Street salon in London, renowned colorist John Clark worked his magic, using a technique dubbed “glow lights” to lift her naturally dark brunette locks into a multi-tonal, sun-kissed brunette. “I used the #glowlights technique to lift her naturally very dark base to a multi-tonal brunette with lighter areas around the face and where the sunshine would naturally make it shimmer,” Clark shared on Instagram, detailing how he avoided block bleaching in favor of a nuanced blend of highlights and glazes. This approach, pioneered on A-listers like Kate Moss, gave Raducanu a radiant, summery look that complemented her vibrant energy without overshadowing her natural beauty. The result was a far cry from the platinum blonde she’d teased, but it perfectly captured her desire for a fresh yet authentic change.
Beyond the salon chair, Raducanu’s life in London offered its own challenges. Growing up in Bromley, she cherished the city’s vibrancy, frequenting Borough Market and Notting Hill. But fame made anonymity elusive. “Not really. More recently, I’ve struggled a bit. I think it’s my hair,” she joked, suggesting her distinctive locks were partly to blame for her recognizability. The blonde prank, she quipped, was also a tongue-in-cheek attempt to blend in—a nod to her struggle to navigate London without drawing a crowd. As an only child, Raducanu often reflected on the loneliness of her journey, noting, “I always wished I had siblings because it can get very lonely.” Yet, she acknowledged the upside: her parents’ undivided focus fueled her tennis dreams, a costly pursuit that paid off in spades.
Raducanu’s parents, Ian and Renee, played contrasting roles in her success. Her mother instilled a can-do spirit, while her father’s tough love—telling her what she couldn’t achieve—spurred her to prove him wrong. “My dad’s method was very different, basically the opposite,” she explained. “He told me that I couldn’t do this and that, and then I wanted to prove him wrong so badly.” This dynamic, coupled with her own fierce competitiveness, propelled her to that unforgettable 2021 US Open win, where she became the youngest British woman to claim a major title since Virginia Wade in 1977.
Fast forward to 2025, Raducanu’s career has seen its share of ebbs and flows. Injuries, including wrist and ankle surgeries, tested her resilience, but her recent performances—like a third-round run at the 2025 US Open—signal a comeback. Her playful blonde prank remains a charming footnote in her story, a reminder of her ability to find joy amid pressure. As she continues to climb the WTA rankings, currently sitting at No. 34, Raducanu’s journey is one of growth, grit, and a touch of mischief. Whether she’s serving aces or teasing a dramatic hair change, she keeps the world watching, proving that her star power extends far beyond the court.
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