Emma Raducanu in front of Indian Wells: "Won a Grand Slam tournament, everything is a bonus now"
On Saturday night Emma Raducanu is active on the tennis court again for the first time. However, she doesn't feel the pressure after her major victory at the US Open.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Oct 08, 2021, 12:48 pm
Emma Raducanu has seen a lot over the past few weeks. The victory from qualifying at the US Open. The Met Gala in New York. A royal tennis match with Duchess Kate Middleton. The premiere of the new James Bond .
But not that important. "I like experiences like that, but at the same time I went back to the training ground and felt: This is where I really want to be," she said in an interview with the New York Times .
In Indian Wells, eyes will be on Raducanu in her match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich (around 3 a.m. CEST). "The good thing is that I still have room to improve and I won a Grand Slam tournament," she said. "But instead of feeling like I'm feeling a lot of pressure now, I feel free, really relaxed. Because you play tennis to win a Grand Slam tournament and I've won one. Everything now is a bonus."
Raducanu: First finished school, then won the US Open
Especially since the British woman can look back on a certain security for "normal" life. Unlike some other professionals, she graduated from school, the last exams took place in the summer. "I hope that part of their story also comes out to the public," says Max Eisenbud, their manager. Eisenbud is best known in the tennis business for his collaboration with Maria Sharapova. "There are so many families who take their children out of school and do home schooling and they have no chance to play professional tennis. I think that's pretty sad."
Curious, by the way: In Indian Wells, Raducanu was placed on her first appearance, even though she only came into the field via wildcard. Because their new "Post-US Open Ranking" - currently number 22 - was not good enough for the main draw at the closing date for the WTA 1000 tournament in the Californian desert. "Crazy", said Raducanu, "I just scratched the qualification table. I can hardly believe that I am now set. I never expected my ranking to be so good so quickly. That is just wonderful, and me am really proud of me. "
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