‘By the end I was completely thriving’ – Raducanu reflects on Wimbledon and US Open successes
US Open champion Emma Raducanu has reflected back on her record-breaking season and reveals her feelings and fondest moments at Wimbledon and the US Open.
19-year-old British sensation Raducanu has enjoyed an incredible breakthrough season, one which earned her the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) Newcomer of the Year and the BT Sport Action Woman of the Year Award.
Starlet Raducanu also reached the round of 16 stages of Wimbledon as a wildcard, an impressive run that was unfortunately cut short through injury.
The Brit then shocked the world when she became the first ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam title, doing so at just 18 years old and not dropping a single set despite facing the likes of World number six Maria Sakkari and former World number four Belinda Bencic.
Since her victory at Flushing Meadows, Raducanu has also recruited three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber’s former coach Torben Beltz.
In an interview with Sky Sports’ Jacquie Beltrao, Raducanu reflected upon her monumental breakthrough season, outlining her feelings and fondest memories, as well as her biggest obstacles.
“Wimbledon was the first moment I was being competitive on a global scale. Obviously there was so much excitement going on and adrenaline I’d never felt before, because it was the first time.
“I was so proud and happy being at home playing in front of [the] home crowd, it was such a special feeling especially out there on Court One, the biggest court I’ve ever played on, so I was really nervous but I absolutely loved it once I got out there.”
On her US Open victory, Raducanu said “I arrived in New York just hoping to get through qualifying maybe.
“I was pretty tired. I just had the most amazing time and I think the key to that was I just focused on the day.
“The time flew by, It went so fast by the end of it I was like, ‘I don’t want to leave yet, I want to stay’, and it was getting to the latter stages of the tournament and I was thinking, ‘but, what if? You’re here, so why not?’. But no one made a big deal of it.”
“The best memories I have of New York is the amount of fun I had out there. I definitely felt I faced my own sort of obstacles and the way I overcame those.
“For example, the first time I stepped out onto Ashe (the Arthur Ashe Stadium) I was quite nervous and didn’t realise until I started and got off to a slow start, and then the way I overcame that – by the end I was completely thriving out there in front of so many people.”
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