Emma Raducanu decided against fancy restaurant to celebrate US Open win – what she did was wholesome
Emma Raducanu heads back to New York three years on from the greatest triumph of her career.
In 2021, an 18-year-old Raducanu shocked the tennis world by storming through qualifying to win the US Open.
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Not only did she win 10 straight matches, but she did not drop a set on her way to the title.
She well and truly burst onto the scene and her life quite literally changed overnight.
Raducanu went from relative obscurity to a global star - racking up millions of followers and numerous high profile endorsement deals.
She even went sightseeing in Times Square and stumbled upon a huge billboard with her face on it.
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When she returned home there were no huge, wild celebrations. Instead, it was an incredibly wholesome way to enjoy the moment.
She told : “Comfort foods aren’t really part of my healthy lifestyle, but I guess they are healthy for the soul and the mind.
“I love my mum’s homemade spring rolls. And when I won the US Open, we didn’t go to a fancy restaurant or anything afterwards. Instead, I went home and my mum made dumplings and spring rolls.
“That for me is the most rewarding of moments, and where I truly feel the happiest.”
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Her mum and dad, Ian and Renee, had been unable to actually watch her in person during her incredible US Open run.
That was because Covid restrictions meant special waivers and exemptions were needed for international travel at the time.
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She became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam title since Virginia Wade in 1977.
Alongside that she banked £1.8million and had her sights set on a modest gift to herself with the money.
“There’s a running joke in my team because before my first round qualifying match I lost my AirPods and I was basically running around the changing room like three minutes before my call to go on trying to find it but I lost it,” she told ESPN after her incredible win.
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“I was thinking to myself, ‘You know what, if you win this match you can buy yourself a pair of AirPods’ and that’s become the running joke!”
Raducanu has struggled to replicate that form ever since and is still yet to win another career title.
Surgery to both wrists and her ankle ended her 2023 season early, meaning she missed last year’s US Open.
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There have been some promising signs this summer, however, as she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon.
She has climbed back up to 71 in the world, meaning she earns automatic entry into the Grand Slams. Raducanu will be at this year's US Open.
The 21-year-old’s mantra these days is to not put too much pressure on herself.
She told Marie Clair: “I think it’s very easy in tennis to panic, and I’m guilty of it. You feel like you only have 10 years of your career ahead of you, and that it’s going to be over before you know it.
“Sometimes 21 feels so old, and then I remember that in the timeline of my career I still have 10 years of slams ahead of me - even 15 if I really want.
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“And while it goes by very quickly, I’ve only had three years on tour so far, so there’s a lot more learning and developing to do.
“There’s also a big chunk of life that happens after tennis. We think when we hit 35, our life is over, but there is so much still to come - many people are just starting their life at that point.
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“So, of course I want to make the most out of the years that I have on tour, but I also need to keep in perspective that there are other things in life than just tennis.”
The US Open starts on Monday, August 26 and the draw will be made on Thursday.
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