Like Alice in Wonderland
The British Emma Raducanu started as number 338 in her first major tournament. Now the 18-year-old is fighting for a place in the last eight.
Posted today at 8:00 p.m.
Take Wimbledon by storm: Emma Raducanu, 18-year-old wildcard player.
Foto: Clive Brunskill (Getty Images)
It’s a feel-Good story as only Wimbledon can write it. Just to come up with the idea of an 18-year-old player with no references and With Giving a championship wildcard to a ranking of 338 seemed bold. Or at least generously: It was clear that she would more than double her previous prize money, as those who lost the start receive the equivalent of 61,000 francs.
And then three wins later is she suddenly becomes the cover girl of the tournament, adorns magazine covers and charms all of Wimbledon and Great Britain.
Her name: Emma Raducanu, born in Toronto, father Romanian, mother Chinese, model student with top grades and one carefree Smile that’s in for every toothpaste advertisementfrage would come. Raducanu qualified with her 6: 3, 7: 5 over the Romanian Sorana Cirstea (WTA 45) on Saturday sensational for the round of 16.
She improved a 42-year-old record and is now the youngest British woman to come this far in the professional era. And since she meets another outsider with the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (75), she can now dream of even more. After all, she has already beaten Vitalia Diatschenko (150) and Marketa Vondrousova (42).
“My parents had told me that I would pack way too many tennis clothes.”
«I’m so happy that the association gave me a wildcard, and just wanted to make the most of it, ”said Raducanu. She only made her debut on the WTA tour last month, in Nottingham, where she lost immediately, and is only playing her second major tournament. “That was by far the largest arena I’ve ever played in,” she said in the winner’s interview on Court 1. And said: “My parents told me I would pack way too many tennis clothes. And now I even have to use the laundry service. “
She earned her wild card the following week when she reached the quarter-finals at an ITF tournament. The most important argument for getting one of these invitations to Wimbledon has always been a British passport. In the meantime, Emma Raducanu has to feel like Alice in Wonderland, and she moves in this real dream with playful unconcern. «Before the matches I say to myself: ‹Why not? Someone has to play in the second week, why not me?›»
Grandmother’s teaching
Raducanu is carried away by the audience and in this atmosphere increases to punch combinations and performances that she herself had not even known about herself. However, with Nigel Sears, she has a very experienced coach at her side who has already worked with various top players, such as Ana Ivanovic and Daniela Hantuchova.
Raducanu kam am 13. November 2002 aBorn to a Romanian father, Ian, and a Chinese mother, Renée, in Toronto. you reined in moved to London with her parents, both of whom work in the financial world, as a two year old. She visits her grandmother in Romania several times a year. Her mother said she had discipline and respect in front Othersn Peoplen taught, she says. «My parents have high expectations and drive me. And I’ve always tried to live up to them. I hope I made her proud this week. “
Her special background is also reflected in her role models: They include the Romanian Simona Halep on the one hand, and the resigned Chinese Li Na on the other. «The mentality that these two have definitely helped me. Both come from countries where people work very hard. “
Not an exceptional junior
Raducanu war kone exceptgiveExceptionally strong junior, she did not get beyond 20th place in the world rankings, after all, she was in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and Roland Garros in 2018. At that time, however, it was slowed down by the many school commitments and some injuriesOrden, she says. “It was a bit frustrating at times. Especially when you see how many young players are currently successful on the WTA tour. “
Now she shows herself how to do it: “The most important thing is to seize the opportunity when it comes. Bislang I manage it very well. ” Another valuable experience for her is that she can suddenly train with top players like Voudrousova or Muguruza. “Something definitely clicked in my head. Wow, that’s the level I have to train at, ”she says.
Determined and ambitious: “I hope I made my parents proud this week,” says Emma Raducanu.
Foto: Julian Finney (Getty Images)
Raducanu has just finished school bduck and waiting for the final grades in mathoff and economy. These years were good for her, also socially, she says. And they would have taken some of the pressure off her as a tennis player. «You can’t play tennis all day. If you do something else besides that, it helps to stay mentally active. “
A good dinner for the parents
And pretty expresses her ambition again. “Everyone thinks I’m absolutely fanatical about miner Grades. My parents say I’m crazy. I do not accept anything other than the highest grade. “
She also plays tennis with this consistency. “I try to play every point here as if it were my last at Wimbledon, a match point.” She tricked herself with it, but it works. She has already improved to around 175th place and her prize money to the equivalent of 230,000 francs increased. Will she survive those too Round of 16, come another 150,000 Franken and about 50 ranks too. “I’ll definitely take my parents out for a good meal,” she promisesicht you.
Posted today at 8:00 p.m.
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