"I can't even get a court at my local club" - Emma Raducanu on how winning the US Open hasn't changed much for her
Emma Raducanu has been the center of attention ever since winning a historic US Open title last week. The 18-year-old has been bombarded by tributes and media requests, but the Brit has had no trouble dealing with her newfound fame.
In a recent interview with Sky News, Raducanu admitted that she is still "on a high" after what transpired in New York. The Brit revealed she is spending her time back home in London resting and relaxing after a grueling few weeks.
"I think I'm still on a high. When I got home here yesterday I just slept the whole day so I think I'm just starting to recover and rest and I think my body needs it after the experience that I've had."
Raducanu said she sometimes has random bursts of emotion when she realises she is indeed a Grand Slam champion. The Brit admitted that it's a "strange feeling" to comprehend, but pointed out that rewatching the championship match against Leylah Fernandez has helped the triumph "sink in".
"It's funny because sometimes I'll just have random bursts where I'm like, 'oh my god, I just won the US Open!'... It's a strange feeling to comprehend, but watching the match last night helped it sink in," said the Brit.
Raducanu was also asked if she was prepared to be treated differently now that she's a Grand Slam winner. But the Brit declared that nothing had really changed, before revealing that she was unable to book a court at her local club when she returned from the US.
"Honestly, I can't even get a court at my local club," she laughed. "I'm pretty sure nothing changes. I haven't really even thought of that, when I go back to training I'll see if anything changes. But until then nothing."
Raducanu's extraordinary triumph in New York has made her a huge hit, especially amongst the younger generation. When asked how she feels about being an inspiration to young children, Raducanu said it means a lot to her to have made such an impact.
The Brit said she hopes to inspire children to dream big and achieve anything they set their mind to. She further emphasized that being a "normal kid", going to school and living a normal life can also produce great results.
"It means a lot to hear that," the 18-year-old said. "I want to just inspire young girls and children to dream big. Even if it's not tennis, even it's to be a doctor, I just want to inspire them to dream big and anything can happen. I just wanna get across that you can be a normal kid, you can go to school, have all the normal things and still achieve results and I think that's my main message to all the kids out there."
"We were singing Sweet Caroline and Mr. Brightside" - Emma Raducanu on how she celebrated her US Open win
During the interaction with Sky, Emma Raducanu revealed that the highlight of her time in New York after the US Open final was the night she spent with her team reflecting on the life-changing experience they had had.
"I think the highlight of my time after the final was honestly the night of the final," Raducanu said. "I just spent it with my team in a really nice intimate room, we just spoke about the whole three weeks' experience and reflecting upon the time."
"There was a karaoke bus on the way back from the courts and we were singing Sweet Caroline and Mr Brightside," she recalled. "We just had a really nice meal together and chatted the whole time through."