"Oh my god, like 365 days ago, I was literally sat in an exam hall doing Paper 3" - Emma Raducanu reflects on a whirlwind 12 months
Tennis' latest wunderkind Emma Raducanu has had a whirlwind year. The Brit has gone from being a relatively unknown teenager to a household name in 12 months thanks to her incredible success on the court.
In an interview with the Express, the World No. 11 spoke about how she wrote her last math exam this time last year. The Brit won the 2021 US Open a few months later.
"It's funny because I was on my phone today and I looked at it and it sent me like the memories and one year ago today, I took my last maths exam, my Paper Three and then I was just reflecting on that and I was like: ‘Oh my god, like 365 days ago, I was literally sat in an exam hall doing Paper Three,’" she said.
Raducanu also said she was "very proud" of her accomplishments over the past year and would have accepted the "downs or losses" considering the massive success she's had.
"I would have taken everything that's happened and dealt with any sort of downs or losses or whatever those feelings are, if you would have given me what I've had in the last year, so it definitely gave me a lot of satisfaction and being very proud of myself," Raducanu said. "So I was really looking forward to carrying on."
cmaaannn🔇🔇🤫🤫. stoked with today! https://t.co/pwUqYzOlgV
"Life in a way was simpler back then because it's 100 per cent just you and your tennis" - Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu is arguably the most popular tennis player, male or female, in the world at the moment.
The British star has partnerships with Nike, Wilson, Evian, British Airways, Dior, Tiffany & Co. and Vodafone. She recently became a brand ambassador for German car manufacturer Porsche.
fun week in Stuttgart on & off the court🏎 🤸♂️🧱 @PorscheTennis #middleofthemiddle https://t.co/KnNToYKj3t
In the interview, Raducanu also spoke about how much simpler her life was a year ago and said it took a while for her to "adjust" to her new-found fame.
"Life in a way was simpler back then because it's 100 per cent just you and your tennis," Raducany said. "And I think that it definitely took me a while to adjust to everything that's been going on but I feel like you if you would have told me any of the results that I've had this year, for example, just winning a round in Australia."
Emma Raducanu moved into the second round of the Madrid Open with a three-set win over Tereza Martincova. She will square off against Marta Kostyuk on Sunday.