Emma Raducanu is a British professional tennis player, born on November 13, 2002, in Toronto, Canada, to a Romanian father and a Chinese mother, before moving to the UK at age two.
She burst onto the global stage in 2021 when, as an 18-year-old qualifier ranked outside the top 300, she won the US Open without dropping a set—becoming the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Since her breakout, Raducanu has faced challenges with injuries and consistency, including wrist and ankle issues that sidelined her for much of 2023.
Raducanu’s playing style is aggressive, baseline-focused, with a strong return game and a notable wide, sliced serve.
Parents
Emma’s parents are Ion Răducanu and Renee Zhai.
Ion is originally from Bucharest, Romania. He worked in the financial sector, which influenced the family’s move from Canada to the UK when Emma was two.
Ion has been a driving force behind her tennis journey, encouraging her to take up the sport at age five and fostering a disciplined, ambitious mindset.
He’s known for being heavily involved in her career decisions, including her frequent coaching changes—sometimes attributed to his exacting standards.
Renee hails from Shenyang, China. Like Ion, she worked in finance, contributing to the family’s relocation to Bromley, England.
Renee introduced Emma to Chinese culture, including language and food, which Emma has embraced—she’s fluent in Mandarin and has visited her grandmother in Shenyang.
Career
Raducanu’s tennis career is a compelling mix of meteoric rise, resilience through setbacks, and ongoing evolution.
Her early years included ITF junior events, where she reached a career-high junior ranking of No. 20 in 2018, showcasing an aggressive baseline style and versatility while balancing school, eventually earning A-levels in maths and economics.
Raducanu turned pro in 2018 but played sparingly until 2021, when she made her mark at Wimbledon as a wildcard ranked No. 338, reaching the fourth round before retiring due to breathing difficulties—a hint of her potential and the pressure she’d face.
Her career-defining moment came later in 2021 at the US Open.
Entering as a qualifier ranked No. 150, the 18-year-old won 10 matches straight—three in qualifying, seven in the main draw—without dropping a set, defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
She became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era, the youngest champ since Maria Sharapova in 2004, and the first British woman to claim one since Virginia Wade in 1977.
Her ranking jumped to No. 23, she pocketed £1.8 million, and she later received an MBE in 2022. Expectations skyrocketed in 2022, but consistency proved elusive.
She hit a career-high No. 10 in July after a fourth-round Wimbledon run, her best Slam result that year, yet finished with a 17-19 record amid five coaching changes, including a stint with Dmitry Tursunov.
Off the court, endorsements with Nike, Dior, and Porsche made her a commercial star, even as her on-court results wavered.
In 2023, injuries halted her momentum. Wrist and ankle problems, necessitating surgeries in May, restricted her to nine matches with a 5-4 record.
She missed the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open, and her ranking slid to No. 296 by year-end.
Doubts about her durability surfaced, but she worked with trainer Yutaka Nakamura to rebuild.
Her 2024 resurgence began in January at Auckland with a quarterfinal run, including wins over Ons Jabeur and Marie Bouzková.
She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, falling to Lulu Sun, but exited the US Open in the first round to Sofia Kenin.
With an 18-11 record, she climbed to No. 57 by December, refining her sliced serve and net play under coach Nick Cavaday, who rejoined after his health improved.
