‘They’re really good at keeping me grounded and focused’ – Raducanu opens up on relationship with her parents
British sensation Emma Raducanu has opened up on her relationship with her parents, saying “I really respect them and I’m so grateful for their sacrifices.”
The 19 year old Britton shocked the world when she became the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam title, achieving such a feat at just 18 years old.
She also achieved this without dropping a single set throughout the tournament despite playing the likes of World number six Maria Sakkari and former World number four Belinda Bencic.
As a result, starlet Raducanu broke into the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) top 20, won the WTA Newcomer of the Year and BT Action Woman of the Year awards, as well as being nominated for the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.
Despite struggling for form immediately after the US Open, Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Transylvania Open in her father’s homeland Romania. Raducanu’s father Ian was in attendance and spurred his daughter on, watching her claim her first WTA tour-level victory.
Raducanu told People Magazine that despite her success at Flushing Meadows, she still gets reprimanded by her parents the same way as any other 19 year old does, saying “And I have my parents — who were telling me off yesterday morning, big time.
“I said I was tired! They both told me off.”
Despite this telling off, Raducanu opened up on her adoration and respect for her parents and how they have helped her manage her success.
“They’re really good at keeping me on the ground and really good at keeping me focused and just plugging away a day at a time, not getting too high with the wins or too low with the losses.
“They [both] have full-time jobs, so from a young age I was at school alone or at childminders. And then I’d play tennis at 7:00 a.m. in the morning and then maybe at 8:00 p.m. in the evening under the floodlights and in the rain on the artificial clay courts.
“So I think looking back, just to see how far I’ve come, and their support, for them to bring me to this stage, I really respect [them] and I’m so grateful for the sacrifices that they made.”
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