Emma Raducanu is frequently criticized for not being committed to tennis, but she's very committed to it, and she explained why many see it incorrectly.
Questioning an athlete's commitment to the sport is a strange thing in nature but also quite common among some fans. If athletes didn't care about the sport that they compete in, they would have never gotten to the level they have, and they certainly didn't get to the top to just quit.
That's the case for Raducanu, who, despite winning the US Open a few years ago, has plenty of goals when it comes to tennis. Her commitment to tennis has been questioned heavily ever since she broke out, and it mostly came from her actually daring to enjoy life outside of tennis.
She's really committed to it because she understands that it will not last a lifetime. She explained recently in an interview with The Times that she probably has ten years left, and that's why she wants to five it her best.
"My career in tennis is probably finished in 10 years, so I have got to maximise. It’s a sacrifice worth making. I met a group of HSBC trainees and it was fun seeing what they were doing."
"In 15 years it will all be reversed and they will be super high up and I will just be starting. My parents were academic and they always led me down the finance route."
The British player is actually excited to see what comes after tennis because she wants to do many things. The problem is one we all have: a lack of time to do all of them.
"I am seeing the operations behind the scenes and something I would potentially want to do in the future. A hundred per cent for me – life starts after tennis."
"I am actually looking forward to the next chapter, which is funny to say at this age. But there are so many things I want to do in this life and I just don’t have enough time."