"We were playing not to lose but Emma Raducanu was playing to win" - Katie O'Brien on eye-opening 2016 encounter with USO champ
Emma Raducanu's incredible rise over the last few months has brought her global attention and fame. The youngster completed a fairytale run at the 2021 US Open, winning the title after a dominant three weeks in New York, earning her plaudits from all corners.
The triumph also places Raducanu as the new British No. 1 whilst making her a household name in her home country. And both fellow players and former teammates have since heaped lavish praise on the 18-year-old.
Katie O'Brien, a former British No. 1 herself, is one of many players to have shared her experience of playing with Emma Raducanu.
Recalling a 2016 meeting with Raducanu at the National Club League, O'Brien claimed the youngster's on-court attitude was one of the first things that caught her attention. The 35-year-old elaborated further by saying that while most players were playing "not to lose", Raducanu was playing "to win".
"I did play on same team as Emma," O'Brien recalled. "[It was] in National Club League for David Lloyd Raynes Park when she was 13 just once and it was quite an experience."
"It got down to a tiebreak final set," she added. "The three of us were playing not to lose and there was Emma playing to win."
O'Brien has also worked as a coach with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). She said that while she knew Raducanu was a good junior player, she did not at the time see her as the "world beater" she is now.
"When I first joined the LTA four years ago, I went with the U16 Summer Cup team in Newcastle," O'Brien said. "The team was Emma, Holly Fischer and Gemma Heath. Emma was good then, but by no means a world beater like she is now!"
LTA shares a behind-the-scenes video from Emma Raducanu's practice
Emma Raducanu is currently gearing up for her first tour appearance since lifting the trophy at Flushing Meadows. The youngster will next play at the BNP Paribas Open, which gets underway with main-draw action from 6 October in Indian Wells, USA.
Raducanu, who was awarded a wildcard entry into the tournament, has been given the 18th seeding at Indian Wells as per the latest world rankings. She has been spotted training at London's LTA facility in preparation for the WTA 1000 tournament.
The LTA recently shared a short video clip from the youngster's training session on Twitter, captioning it "Behind the scenes".
Behind the scenes at an @emmaraducanu training session
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