Emma Raducanu interview: I have to draw a line under US Open win
Sitting on the ground floor of an Eastbourne art gallery doubling as a makeshift press area, Emma Raducanu is refreshingly honest about a recent change in her outlook.
It is almost four years since she stunned the tennis world by winning the US Open aged just 18 – the first qualifier to do so, and without dropping a set – but she is now focused on the future rather than looking back.
With Wimbledon just a few days away, she acknowledges she has to draw a line under that momentous victory and focus on 'consistency over perfection'.
It is an approach that echoes the sentiments of her coach Mark Petchey, who has been encouraging Raducanu to think of 2025 as a new start – and asked people to judge her two years from now, when she will be 24.
'I can't compare every result to winning a grand slam,' she says after contemplating the question on her part-time coach's remarks.
'Once you've reached the top of winning a grand slam and every result you have, you're like, 'Well, it's not the same level as that'. So it's difficult to get my own head around and bring my expectations of myself a bit down, because I'm like, 'Well, I've achieved that. Why can't I achieve this?' That's the hardest internal debate that I have in my mind.'
🏆 EMMA RADUCANU IS THE 2021 #USOPEN CHAMPION 🏆
THE FIRST BRITISH WOMAN TO WIN A GRAND SLAM SINCE 1977! 👏🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/LXagq9Lcpr
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 11, 2021
It is undoubtedly a challenge to balance her own expectations – and those of the public – with the realities of her recent form, especially given the extensive injuries that have hampered her progress since that 2021 triumph. Yet she wants to retain the youthful energy seen when she first burst onto the scene and was known for always having a smile on her face on court.
'I want to embody just having a good time and joy,' she says. 'I've recently realised that what we do, it's for such a short amount of time and it will go before we know it.
'I was actually listening to Ana Ivanovic say the same thing, she said she wished she had enjoyed it more. I don't want to have any regrets to look back on. I want to bring joy to what I do and enjoy this time, because it's going to go by really fast.'
Raducanu is undoubtedly the highest-profile female tennis player, if not athlete in general, in the country. Fans on the opening day at Queen's were left 'outraged' that her impromptu 'Boultercanu' doubles partnership with Katie Boulter was scheduled on a smaller court rather than the main Andy Murray Arena and her matches there had notably higher attendances than those before or afterwards, just as in Eastbourne this week.
It is a weight of expectation that will only increase now she has regained her British No 1 ranking for the first time in two years, taking the spot from Boulter.
Given all the external pressure, Raducanu is keen to carve out time away from the sport. Last year, she and fellow British tennis player Francesca Jones visited Oxford University in the days before Wimbledon, and she has recently started an art history course to expand her creativity and knowledge. It is about balance and enjoying life off the court, with visits to cafes and restaurants, allowing Raducanu to appreciate her time on it.
Next on the agenda is Wimbledon, an iconic venue for British tennis players, especially one who grew up in Bromley. It is the venue where she first gained widespread public awareness, delighting the crowd in reaching the fourth round at 18-years-old.
Preparations for this year's home slam have not been straightforward. Raducanu has had to contend with an ongoing back problem that forced her to withdraw from the Berlin Open, not to mention the news that her stalker had been blocked from buying Wimbledon tickets having put his name in the ballot.
Yet she cannot hide her excitement about another chance to play at SW19. 'Not much beats the buzz of winning at Wimbledon so I'm really looking forward to it,' she says. 'At the same time, you do feel a bit of pressure, you do feel nervous, but in a good way.
'I think if you're able to channel that and use it to focus yourself in the matches, then it is helpful, because sometimes if you're too loose, too relaxed, then you're not as locked in on the court.'
In the first round, Raducanu will take on one of the other 23 home-grown talents in the main draw – the highest number of Britons since 1984 – in 17-year-old Mimi Xu.
When it comes to home expectation, none will be higher than on Raducanu and men's fourth seed and British No 1 Jack Draper, with the pair just over a year apart in age and a history that stretches back into the juniors.
'It's amazing,' she says. 'I've known him for so long. We were both pretty promising juniors and now to be British No 1 on both men's and women's side in the real thing, it's pretty cool.'
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