‘I’ve always dreamed of winning a grand slam,’ Emma Raducanu expresses her ecstasy and reveals her learnings from Wimbledon withdrawal
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Emma Raducanu with the US Open trophy
British teen sensation Emma Raducanu has now become a household name after her US Open triumph. She will have a page reserved for herself in the history books as she became the first ever qualifier in tennis history to win a grand slam. The 18-year old Brit beat fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez in the final in straight sets 6-4,6-3 to win her maiden slam.
Raducanu made her grand slam debut a month ago at Wimbledon where she reached the fourth round before retiring mid-match due to stomach related issues. She spoke about how her second week outing at Wimbledon helped her. “I thought Wimbledon was such an incredible experience. Fourth round, second week, I couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘What a great achievement’,” she said.
“But I was still hungry. I was working hard after the grass. I didn’t have much time off. With each match and tournament, I think I’ve really built in terms of confidence, in terms of my game, in terms of my ball striking. Everything came together today.”
She said that she’d always dreamt of winning a major and backed it up with immense self-belief.
“I’ve always dreamed of winning a grand slam. You say, ‘I want to win a grand slam’, but to have the belief I did, and actually executing, winning a grand slam, I can’t believe it,” the Brit said.
“I first started when I was a little girl but I think the biggest thing that you have visions of, for me it was just winning, the winning moment, and going to celebrate with your team in the box. That’s been playing in my head a couple of nights. I’ve fallen asleep to that.”
‘I don’t feel absolutely any pressure, I’m still 18 years old’: Raducanu
Raducanu has been celebrating her win around New York and said that she has no idea what’s going around outside her ‘little world’. “I have absolutely no idea what’s going on outside of the little world that we’re in here. We’ve just been in the quiet room, just enjoying the moment, taking it all in. I think today we just really need to shut out from everything, just enjoy it as a team, because it was a team effort,” she said.
She said that she was just enjoying the present and doesn’t have anything planned for the future.
“I have no idea when I’m going home. I have no idea what I’m doing tomorrow. I definitely think it’s the time to just switch off from any future thoughts or any plans, any schedule. I’ve got absolutely no clue. Right now, no care in the world, I’m just loving life.”
She emphasized on the fact that despite winning a major and shattering records, she doesn’t have any pressure as she’s just 18.
“I don’t feel absolutely any pressure,” she said. “I’m still only 18 years old. I’m just having a free swing at anything that comes my way. That’s how I faced every match here in the States. It got me this trophy, so I don’t think I should change anything,” she concluded.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)