Emma Raducanu ‘Had it Tougher’ Because She’s from Britain, Claims Grand Slam Champion

Emma Raducanu will square off against Ann Li to start her campaign at the Wuhan Open.

Emma Raducanu ‘Had it Tougher’ Because She’s from Britain, Claims Grand Slam Champion

Emma Raducanu (Image via X/Emma Raducanu Fan)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Emma Raducanu had it tough after winning the US Open, only because she is from Britain, believes Bianca Andreescu. Like Raducanu, Andreescu became an overnight star after she beat Serena Williams in the 2019 US Open final.

Raducanu made global headlines when she clinched the 2021 US Open title as a teenager and as a qualifier. En route to her victory over Leylah Fernandez in the final, Raducanu won all her matches in straight sets. This win eventually made her a No.10 player.

But after that, Raducanu only experienced a rapid downfall. Fitness problems as well as form issues ruined her campaigns, and she even underwent multiple surgeries in 2023 that forced her to skip the majority of that season. Andreescu’s story is no different from Raducanu’s.

Since her win over Williams, the Canadian ace has not yet won one singles title. In 2019, before clinching the Major, Andreescu beat Angelique Kerber in the Indian Wells final and the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion in the Canadian Open final. Since her Grand Slam victory, the 25-year-old has played three finals, losing all.

But Raducanu has yet to reach another final in her career. Only this year, she was successful in winning four consecutive matches in a single tournament (she reached the semifinals at the Miami Open) since that US Open run. Andreescu thinks Raducanu, since her fairytale run, has been dealing with a great deal of additional pressure. She told Tennis365:

Coming from Britain, she’s definitely had it tougher than me. The fame, the pressure from sponsors… that must have been a lot of pressure. For me, I definitely feel I could have done with a little more guidance after (US Open win), and maybe I would have done things a little differently.

Andreescu is in Wuhan, where she is still alive in doubles, playing with partner Yue Yuan. The pair will lock horns with Wang Xinyu and Tang Qianhui to kick-start their campaign.

It’s great to see Emma coming back to the top, and she is playing some great tennis at the moment. She was close to beating Pegula last week, so that shows the level she is playing at.

Bianca Andreescu added

In singles in Wuhan, Andreescu failed to progress to the main draw after losing her second qualifier match to Anastasia Zakharova. Before Wuhan, she suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Anna Bondar at the China Open.

Emma Raducanu reflects on the impact she has made

Even though the 2021 US Open is the only title Emma Raducanu has, she is proud of another achievement. She is inspiring young girls from around the world, especially from Britain, to pick up the tennis racket.

Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu (Image via X/Emma Raducanu Fan)

It’s funny to think that I have had that impact. It’s really nice to be reminded, you know, that you’re inspiring younger kids to play. And it’s very easy to lose sight of that kind of thing because you get so absorbed in your own world. But that is that is a really big achievement for me (inspiring young kids), and it’s why I want to keep a really good example on the court, a good demeanour.

Eamma Raducanu told Tennis365

Raducanu believes in having a good on-court disposition. Although she understands why players sometimes lose their cool, she focuses on reminding herself to keep a “best possible face“, to avoid setting a bad example for the younger generation.

The 22-year-old will lock horns with Ann Li to kick-start her Wuhan Open campaign. If she reaches the quarterfinals, she could meet her good friend Amanda Anisimova, who recently clinched the China Open by beating Linda Noskova.

Also read: Tennis Fans in Complete Shock Over Rafael Nadal’s Apparent Hair Loss: “This is Insane”