The Beautiful Emma Raducanu Ever Hoped Not to Win the 2021 US Open
JAKARTA - Tennis player from England, Emma Raducanu, made a surprise in 2021 by winning the US Open tournament at the age of 18. She won the Grand Slam title in New York without dropping a set as a qualifier.
After that victory, she was predicted to be a female tennis player who would skyrocket her name.
However, it did not materialize. Raducanu has been sluggish since then. This is inseparable from the injuries that often hit her and the drama of changing coaches in the last two years.
Currently, she is struggling to keep up with the physical and mental demands placed upon her. In fact, Raducanu sometimes wishes her shock win at the 2021 US Open never happened.
"That moment on the court, when I celebrated (US Open victory), I was like, I would totally trade any fight in the world for this moment," Raducanu said, broadcast by AFP, quoted via Antara, Monday, June 19.
"Anything can come my way, I will accept it for what I have now because this is the best thing in the world. I promised myself, on the pitch that day."
"Since then I've had a lot of setbacks, one after another. I'm tenacious, my tolerance is high, but it's not easy. And sometimes I think 'I wish I never won the US Open, I hope that doesn't happen'. Then I'm like, 'remember that feeling, remember that promise', because it's so pure."
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Raducanu's stunning win made her one of the most in-demand sportswomen in the world almost overnight. The 20-year-old tennis player has partnerships with Nike, Porsche, Vodafone, and Dior among his sponsors.
However, Raducanu said he needed to grow quickly on the WTA Tour to avoid being used as a "piggy bank".
"The tour was absolutely brutal. What I realized in the last two years, the tour and all that came with it, it's not a nice, trusting, safe place," Raducanu said.
"You have to be alert because there are a lot of sharks out there. I think people in this industry, especially me because I'm 19, now 20, they see me as a piggy bank. I've learned to keep your circle as small as possible," she continued.
Currently, Raducanu is still struggling to recover her physical condition. The world number 128 will miss Wimbledon next month as he recovers from ankle and right hand surgery.