"My Dad always told me, if I could serve in the dark, it would be easy in the daylight" - Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu recently revealed a piece of advice her father gave her during her early years as a tennis player.
The teenager shot to fame after winning the 2021 US Open Championships, becoming the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam.
The 19-year-old entered the 2021 US Open with few expectations. No one took much notice of her until she got the better of Shelby Rogers in the last 16. She went on to defeat Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals, World No. 4 Maria Sakkari in the semis and Leylah Fernandez in the final to round-off a miraculous campaign at Flushing Meadows.
But Raducanu's victory was not an overnight success. She has put in hours of training to be at her current level. In a recent interview with Porsche, for whom the Brit is a brand ambassador, she was asked to provide insight into how she trained when she was younger.
“My dad always told me, if I could serve in the dark, it would be easy in the daylight,” she said
Raducanu also spoke about how her upbringing and family background has helped her achieve success on the tennis court. The World No. 11 said she inherited resilience from her mother and the ability to think logically from her father, both of whom "inspired and motivated" her.
“I feel like my culture and family background have definitely played a part in who I am,” Raducanu said.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of resilience from my mom, which helps me on the tennis court. I’m more logical in my thought processes. I feel like that is from my dad. Both of them expected a lot of me. They inspired and motivated me,” she added.
Behind the Scenes with Emma Raducanu
“My dad always told me, if I could serve in the dark, it would be easy in the daylight.”
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Emma Raducanu has a multicultural background. She was born in Toronto on November 13, 2002. Her father, Ian, was born in Romania, while her mother, Renee, is Chinese. When Raducanu was two years old, her family moved to the United Kingdom.
Emma Raducanu will play at the Nottingham Open next
Emma Raducanu made her claycourt debut earlier this season. Her best result was making the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open. At the French Open, the Brit showed her resilience by beating Linda Noskova in three hard-fought sets in the first round. However, she bowed out to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round despite winning the first set.
Raducanu will now turn her attention to the grasscourt season, where she will compete at the Nottingham Open. The 19-year-old will kick off her campaign against Viktorija Golubic on Tuesday.
Raducanu made her breakthrough last year at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round with resounding victories over Vitalia Diatchenko, Marketa Vondrousova and Sorana Cirstea. Unfortunately, she was forced to retire from her Round of 16 match against Ajla Tomljanovic after having difficulty breathing.
The 2022 Wimbledon Championships kick off on June 27.