Born in Toronto, Canada, to a Romanian father and a Chinese mother, and now the pride and hope of millions of British people. She is none other than Emma Raducanu. The 20-year-old often candidly speaks about her multicultural identity and how proud she is to have it. Her Chinese heritage has played an important role in her success at such an early age. But many might like to know, how?
Raducanu started playing tennis at the age of 5. There have been several highs and lows in her 15-year journey. Her season this year was cut short in April as she had to undergo surgery. Now, she’s looking for a comeback. She believes that without self-belief, the journey would’ve become more difficult. But how did Chinese culture influence her career?
Emma Raducanu shares the secret of her enormous self-belief
The former number 10 has kicked off her career in style by winning the US Open in 2021. She is the first British woman to win a Grand Slam title in almost 46 years. That too, only at the age of 18. Astonishing, isn’t it? But the ride was never a merry-go-round for the young Brit. She has been plagued with injuries and has had to undergo multiple surgeries on her wrist. Without self-belief, the comeback story would have been impossible. Now she vows to cover the lost ground, and here’s what she said in a recent interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
“I think the confidence comes from just inner belief. My mum comes from a Chinese background, they have very good self-belief. It’s not necessarily about telling everyone how good you are, but it’s about believing it within yourself. I really respect that about the culture. I will be coming back with a lower ranking but I’m looking forward to starting again, resetting. I still have new goals, new things I want to achieve but I’ve still got 15 years in my career so there is no rush,” she said.
Emma Raducanu says Chinese culture is not about telling people how good you are, it’s about self-belief:
“I think the confidence comes from just inner belief. My mum comes from a Chinese background, they have very good self-belief. It’s not necessarily about telling everyone how… pic.twitter.com/eU8DuRz8DP
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 21, 2023
Surely she is excited for her comeback. But at the same time, the expectations are also significantly higher than before her US Open triumph. She has to start from scratch. Can she do it?
The story of Emma Raducanu
She had moved to the UK with her family when she was only 2 years old. Ever since then, she has seen the dedication and work ethic her parents put together to succeed in a new land. Her parents have instilled Raducanu’s source of confidence, discipline, and respect for others. She embraced her mother’s Chinese heritage to navigate her through the rollercoaster rides of her career. The former number 10 in the ranking now looks to live up to the higher expectations of her parents and make a comeback to the bigger stage.
Even though she has achieved one of the biggest goals of her life by winning the US Open, she still faces a lot of criticism. Criticism for her lack of consistency and multiple on-court failures. Her off-court sponsorship commitments have been under the microscope for some time. Do you feel it’s the real reason for her distraction and underperformance? Yes or no, but do not forget she is still 20 years old, and there are miles ahead of her now.
