[Sports] Emma Raducanu: The making of Great Britain's US Open finalist

[Kn1GHT_AX]

Emma Raducanu was not even a teenager when she had to make a significant sacrifice.

Having been encouraged to take up a variety of sports by her father Ian - including ballet, horse riding, swimming and basketball - she was particularly enamoured with motocross.

"I was racing go-karts for a year or two when I was younger - about eight - and then at 10 I transitioned into motocross," she said.

"I'm into motor sports but I couldn't carry on with it as my tennis career progressed. It turned out pretty well."

That has proved to be an understatement. Little more than five years later, the 18-year-old has reached a Grand Slam final.

With a steely composure in executing her skills, and an effervescent personality endearing her to fans across the globe, Raducanu has emerged as a star.

Having burst on to the professional scene by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in July, she has surpassed that by reaching the US Open final in only her fourth tour-level event.

"She has a great attitude, she is smart and is doing extremely well - I'm sure she will continue along the right path," said Britain's former world number one Andy Murray.

Raducanu's rise has been heavily influenced by her Chinese mother Renee and Romanian father Ian, who both work in the finance sector and moved to London from Canada when their Toronto-born daughter was two.

First grabbing a tennis racquet at the age of five, Raducanu went on to join the Bromley Tennis Academy before her potential was spotted by the Lawn Tennis Association.

The governing body took Raducanu under its wing from an early age, with the youngster taking part in camps and trips abroad before progressing through the age groups.

US Open finalist Raducanu has 'got the whole package'

While that support has clearly been crucial, her parents' influence has also continued to clear in the way Raducanu remains composed on court and grounded off it.

"I think that the calmness and the mental strength definitely comes from my upbringing," she said this week.

"I think my parents have both instilled in me from a very young age to definitely have a positive attitude on court.

"When I was younger, it was definitely an absolute no-go if I had any sort of bad attitude. So from a young age, I definitely learned that and it's followed me until now."

Raducanu's surprise run in New York has had a downside - her parents have been unable to see any of her matches in person.

Nor will they be able to see Saturday's final - against another teenager in Canada's Leylah Fernandez - because of the strict travel restrictions to the United States.

"It's not possible, because you need a waiver and it takes a couple weeks for approval. It's too late and they won't be able to get one," said Raducanu, whose love of motorsport has remained strong.

The savvy young professional who makes tough career choices

While she had long been tipped for stardom by those within British tennis, Raducanu was untested at the highest level before being given a wildcard for Wimbledon.

Ranked 336 in the world as he faced only her second tour-level event, she took everything in her stride on the way to the last 16.

But, then came a worrying moment. Having beaten two top-50 players at the All England Club, she had to retire from the fourth-round match with breathing difficulties and dizziness when trailing 6-4 3-0 against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic.

Speaking after her first practice session in New York, Raducanu explained to BBC Sport how the experience had illustrated the physical improvements she had to make.

"I haven't done much work relative to these other girls who have been on tour for 10 years," she said almost three weeks ago.

"Then to be playing the intensity I was at for a couple of weeks in a row, it was something completely new to me."

That was achieved by playing more matches leading up to the US Open - reaching the quarter-finals of an ITF Tour event in Pennsylvania and the final of a WTA Challenger event in Chicago - and then coming through three rounds of qualifying at Flushing Meadows.

Having four days without a match between qualifying and her first-round match benefited Raducanu, as has having a day off to recover between the main-draw matches.

Another key element to her physical improvements has been the decision to bring physio Will Herbert into her team. Herbert is a former trainer with German men's world number four Alexander Zverev and former British number one Kyle Edmund - and according to Raducanu, he is her "mechanic".

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by -AspecT.