Emma Raducanu names Michael Jordan & Daniel Ricciardo as her dream dinner guests, says she'd like Gemma Chan to play her in a movie
Emma Raducanu recently shot a fun video for Great Britain's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), where she answered a bunch of interesting questions and revealed some quirky facts about her life.
The video begins with a question asking Raducanu to name three dream guests she would like to invite for dinner. The Brit in reply mentioned legendary basketball player Michael Jordan, and claimed that he has been a source of inspiration for her.
"Yeah I’d to hear some stories of his (Michael Jordan's) and how it was going," Raducanu said. "Because I watched The Last Dance and I think everyone did and I was so inspired after that."
An ardent Formula One fan, Raducanu also named Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo as another of her dream dinner guests. The last in her list is Tom Keene, a radio and television analyst in business and economics at Bloomberg.
"Daniel Ricciardo seems like a really funny guy," Raducanu said. "I’m quite into F1 so that's exciting. I'd just love to hear more about it."
"The third would probably be Tom Keene from Bloomberg," she added. "I think because I did my A-levels in Economics I was having to keep up to speed up with all the latest news. He made it in a way, using analogies that was relatable and actually quite funny and very understandable."
The 18-year-old then revealed that her first tennis autograph was of compatriot and former player Anne Keothavong. Raducanu first met Keothavong during the London Youth Games, and in 2020 she played under the captaincy of the 38-year-old at the Billie Jean King Cup.
"My first one that I can remember was from Anne Keothavong," Raducanu said. "Which is really funny because I was doing the Crystal Palace, a London Youth Games thing and she came in and she was obviously playing top 50 at that time. She signed my tennis bag and I still have that tennis bag."
"It’s funny to think a few years later she was the Fed Cup captain and I was in the team in Bratislava," the Brit added. "I just thought that was really weird how that worked out."
Emma Raducanu was then asked to name the last Whatsapp group she joined. She replied that the group's name was "Almond Croissant" and that it included her physio and fitness trainer.
A cafe next to the gym of Raducanu's physio serves almond croissants which she is quite fond of, hence the name.
"I actually have a Whatsapp group with my fitness trainer and my physio and the title is 'almond croissant' because basically the gym that my physio owns is right next to this unbelieveable artesian café," Raducanu said. "I actually drive 20 minutes to this place each way just to get this almond croissant. So it has become a bit of an inside joke."
The teenager further revealed that would want Gemma Chan, an actor who featured in the popular Hollywood movie 'Crazy Rich Asians', to play her in a film. Chan grew up on the street close to Raducanu's house, and she also went to the same secondary school as the reigning US Open champion.
"Gemma Chan is playing in Crazy Rich Asians but it’s funny because she actually grew up on the street right next to my house," Raducanu said. "She went to the same secondary school as me too so I think it’s just a small world and yeah, she obviously was in Crazy Rich Asians which was huge. I’d say she’s also very poised and I respect her a lot."
"I’m a persistent snacker, I will literally eat all the time" - Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu was also asked to mention the first thing she does upon reaching home from a tournament. The 18-year-old replied that she just eats, before going on to describe herself as a "persistent snacker".
"First thing I do is I eat, honestly," Raducanu said. "I’m a persistent snacker, I will literally eat all the time. Yeah I just really enjoy it to be honest. I am so creative with my meals."
When asked what she does when she wins a match, Raducanu replied that focusing on her body's recovery is very important irrespective of the match's outcome. She further emphasized that it is important to have "good habits" as part of your day-to-day life on tour.
"I'd say this one is the same for whether I win or lose a match," Raducanu said. "I think it's really important to create good habits and it doesn't really matter the result. I think you can always take a learning from it but the most important thing is to get your body right and recover for the next day or practice."