Who are Emma Raducanu's parents? Prodigy's mom and dad sad they can't attend finals
Emma Raducanu's climb to the US Open semifinals has been beyond terrific. After defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in straight sets in New York, the Bromley native won the first set 6-1, before her ace 6-4 win in the second set. With the victory, Raducanu became the first person qualifier ever in the Open era to reach the finals of a major tournament. But as Raducanu will compete for the prestigious title, her parents will have to make do with not being able to attend the finals due to the pandemic travel restrictions.
Raducanu's parents missing out on watching their little girl in the US Open finals is further compounded by the 18-year-old tennis star being the youngest Grand Slam finalist since Maria Sharapova's record-making Wimbledon showpiece event in 2004. As the Briton takes the court this Saturday, September 11, the entire match will become an all-teenage affair with her 19-year-old opponent Leylah Fernandez fighting for the win too. Fernandez scored her spot in the finals by defeating Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka. Raducanu meanwhile is yet to be tested by any of her opponents seriously. With tensions on the rise, here's a look at who her biggest supporters are.
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Who are Emma Raducanu's parents?
Raducanu was born in Toronto, Canada, on November 3, 2000, to a Romanian father, Ian, and a Chinese mother, Renee. Both of Raducanu's parents are financial executives who moved to London when she was just two years old. Just years later, at the age of five, Raducanu began playing tennis at the Bromley Tennis academy. Trained in tennis, ballet, swimming, horse riding, golf, skiing, and even motocross, Raducanu was sort of a jack of all trades as a child before she found her true calling in tennis. Some of her first inspirations go back to her Romanian roots as she began idolizing Simona Halep, as well as Li Na from a very young age.
Raducanu's father Ian is also reportedly a huge part of her team. He will also have a critical say on her coaching situation after the US Open. Unfortunately, however, Raducanu's parents won't be able to witness her historic appearance. "It's not possible, because you need a waiver and it takes a couple weeks for approval,” the tennis star said ahead of her semifinals. "It's too late and they won't be able to get one.”
Raducanu is close to her grandma in Romania
Raducanu is also close to her father's side of the family, always finding time for her grandmother Romania, whom she loves to visit quite often. She had once said in an interview, “My grandma, Mamiya, still lives in central Bucharest. I go back a couple times a year, stay with her, see her. It’s really nice. I love the food, to be honest. I mean, the food is unbelievable. And my grandma’s cooking is also something special. I do have ties to Bucharest.”
But it's not just all tennis for the teen sensation, as she has been balancing her tennis career simultaneously while studying for he A levels in the last 12 months. She also chose to not travel for the lower-level tournaments abroad, so she could sit for her maths and economics exams at Newstead School, based in Orpington, London. The school had also tweeted to congratulate the tennis prodigy at this year’s Wimbledon. Raducanu has since also passed her A levels.