"I didn’t like it": Emma Raducanu reveals being 'forced' into playing tennis by father

Britain’s young tennis star Emma Raducanu has revealed that her father forced her into playing the sport. The 21-year-old was once regarded as one of the most highly-rated players in the women’s singles category. She lifted the US Open title at the age of just 18 in 2021 after beating Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the final in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

Things have not gone as planned since. Raducanu has struggled with consistent fitness concerns and only returned to the court earlier this year after spending a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Ontario-born star was recently quoted in a report in which she revealed that she was ‘forced’ into playing tennis by her father, but she started to like it as she grew older.

"At the start my dad forced me into tennis," she said. "I didn’t like it, but then as I got older and tennis became more of a priority, I was pushing myself. [My parents] are so pushy. When I was younger more so. Now they are at a place where they tell me what they think is best, but they realise ultimately that the more they push the more I am going to resist. I’ve seen some great people who I was playing with in the juniors who had way more lenient parents who were like, 'It’s OK if you lost', and those players don’t play tennis anymore, so I don’t blame my parents for it."

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Emma Raducanu

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