Virginia Wade urges Raducanu to focus on tennis instead of brand deals - "You better stay a good tennis player"

The Brit became a global superstar overnight and a fan favorite in three different countries thanks to her unique heritage. Raducanu was seen as a hero in her native Great Britain as well as Romanian and China, countries where her parents hail from. That made her very attractive to large brands who fought over her since New York.

Since triumphing at the US Open the Brit has landed brand deals with Dior, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, and is also sponsored by Nike. But former champion and tennis legend Virginia Wade has urged Raducanu to focus more on tennis. She said:

“Getting all these endorsements can turn these young players’ heads. You’ve got to remember you got [deals] because you’re a good tennis player, and not for any other reason. So you’d better stay being a good tennis player.”

Wade is calm about the matter believing that Ruducanu will handle it the right way. She also warned people that they should not expect grand slams on the regular from the young Brit. Wade believes there is a lot more learning to be done:

“She’s very smart, intelligent, well-balanced, serious. She really applies herself. She problem-solves on the court. We don’t need to expect anything spectacular in the next few years. Give her a couple of good, steady, learning years."