Emma Raducanu reveals ‘pinch-me moment’ with Queen and names her dream Wimbledon doubles partner

Tennis News
Emma Raducanu gives her trophy a little kiss

It has been a year to remember for Emma Raducanu as she has gone from a tennis player with a potentially bright future to a household name that has “pinch-me moments” with the Queen.

Twelve months ago Raducanu had just finished her final A-Levels exam and was yet to make a main draw appearance at a Grand Slam, but as they say “things escalated quickly” after that as she enjoyed a whirlwind debut at Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round before retiring.

Bigger and better things were still to come as the then 18-year-old enjoyed a fairytale run at the US Open in September as she became the first qualifier to win a major, beating Leylah Fernandez in the final.

Naturally all the rich and famous all praised Raducanu and one of those who congratulated her was the Queen.

In a candid interview alongside actress Gemma Chan for Elle UK, Raducanu was asked about her biggest “pinch-me moment” to date.

“Definitely when I stepped off the court at the US Open, and when I received a letter from the Queen,” she replied.

In a video clip “Ask Me Anything” she added: “I think the standout for me was when I got the letter from the Queen after the final. I just got taken into a room and they were like ‘Okay we have something for you’ and then I opened this folder and it was a letter that was printed out and signed by Her Majesty.”

When asked by Chan where she gets her level-headedness and mental toughness from, she paid tribute to her parents.

“I think my parents and the way they brought me up has played a part,” she revealed. “Even when I won the US Open, there was nothing big or amazing that my parents did to celebrate – we just came home and ate dumplings, and that was it.

“We are very normal. My mum always encouraged me to be resilient. When facing adversity, it doesn’t matter how down you are, as long as you keep getting back up.”

As for her dream Wimbledon doubles partner, Raducanu said: “Just once in my life, I’d love to play doubles with Andy Murray at Wimbledon.”

Andy Murray Emma Raducanu

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