If there is one thing that Emma Raducanu has not been willing to let go since shooting to fame in 2021, it is her ability to stay grounded.
Raducanu made tennis history when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam at the US Open almost three years ago. Sudden success in sports tends to attract intense media attention and fan scrutiny.
The spotlight couldn't have shone brighter for the then-18-year-old Raducanu, who found herself deciding which lucrative contracts to pick from many sponsors. In the span of two weeks, she rose to become the poster girl of British women's tennis.
But amidst all that, what made the Canadian-born Briton's groundbreaking success in New York special was that it had a profound impact not just on Raducanu herself but also on aspiring tennis players worldwide.
In the same manner that she was inspired by the likes of Andy Muray and Laura Robson, she reveals on Grazia Daily UK that she learned to stay true to her roots and values because of the personality she wanted to portray to people irrespective of her sporting and financial success.
"I have strong, grounded values as well. I’m not just Emma Raducanu who arrives in a Porsche, wears Dior and flies first class. I came from Bromley on the park courts, and I want to send that message out. People can easily run away with a perfect image or a perfect life and it’s not like that."
The 21-year-old has amassed over two million followers on Instagram. In the same interview, she explains how she copes with an insane amount of negative feedback and opinions from trolls on social media and reporters.
"One thing I’ve learnt is that my reach goes a lot further than the headlines, because that’s just clickbait. Bar those articles, affecting and inspiring kids to pick up a racket because of something I said – that’s really cute. That is way more impactful for me."
0 Comments