History of Emma Raducanu in Timeline

Emma Raducanu is a British professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 10. She is the 2021 US Open champion, making her the first British woman to win a singles major since 1977. Her unexpected victory at the US Open marked a significant moment in British tennis history. Raducanu is also a former British No. 1.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1968: First British woman to reach the US Open final since Virginia Wade

In 1968, Virginia Wade reached the US Open final. In 2021, Emma Raducanu became the first British woman to reach the US Open final since Virginia Wade in 1968.

1977: Virginia Wade's Wimbledon Championship

In 1977, Virginia Wade won the Wimbledon Championships, the last British woman to win a singles major before Emma Raducanu in 2021.

1977: BBC Sports Personality of the Year

In December 2021, Emma Raducanu was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, becoming the first female tennis player to win the trophy since Virginia Wade in 1977.

1999: All-Teenage US Open Final

In 1999, there was the first all-teenage women's singles final at the US Open since Emma Raducanu defeated Leylah Fernandez in two sets in 2021.

2000: Partnership with AirWayz

In June 2023, Emma Raducanu partnered with American digital media platform AirWayz, offering online tennis coaching for $2000 per session, with proceeds going to the LTA's Youth Coaching Programme.

November 2002: Emma Raducanu's birth in Toronto

In November 2002, Emma Raducanu was born in Toronto, Canada, and was raised in Bromley, England. Her parents, Ion Răducanu and Renee Zhai, are from Romania and China, respectively, and work in the finance sector.

2002: Elena Baltacha reached Wimbledon third round

In 2002, Elena Baltacha reached Wimbledon third round. It was the same year Emma Raducanu was born.

2014: Williams wins US Open without dropping a set

In 2014, Williams won US Open without dropping a set. In 2021, Emma Raducanu became the first woman to do so at the US Open since Williams in 2014.

2017: Junior Titles

In 2017, Emma Raducanu continued her junior success with two titles in February at the Yonex ITF Hamburg and ITF Oslo Open Grade-4 events.

2017: Sloane Stephens' US Open Win

In January 2022, at the Australian Open, Emma Raducanu defeated 2017 US Open champion and former world No. 3, Sloane Stephens, in the first round.

January 2018: Chandigarh Lawn Tennis ITF Tournament Win

In January 2018, Emma Raducanu won the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis girls' ITF tournament, defeating Diana Khodan of Ukraine in the final in straight sets at the Lawn Tennis Association Stadium.

2018: ITF Women's Circuit Debut and First Title

In 2018, Emma Raducanu made her debut on the ITF Women's Circuit and secured her first title in May at the $15k event in Tiberias. She concluded the season with a second $15k title in October at the ITF Antalya.

2018: Turned Professional

In 2018, Emma Raducanu turned professional and alternated between junior and professional tournaments during 2018 and 2019.

2019: Bianca Andreescu wins the US Open

In 2019, Bianca Andreescu won the US Open. In 2022 Emma Raducanu faced Andreescu at the Italian Open, where she retired after carrying a back injury into the match.

2019: Competed in Maharashtra and Pune

In 2019, Emma Raducanu competed in Maharashtra, India, and retired in the second round of the $25k Solapur Open. She won a $25k event in Pune, India, in December, defeating Naiktha Bains.

2019: Alternating between junior and professional tournaments

Throughout 2019, Emma Raducanu alternated between junior and professional tournaments.

December 2020: LTA British Tour Masters Title

In December 2020, Emma Raducanu won the Lawn Tennis Association LTA British Tour Masters title.

2020: Selected for Fed Cup

In 2020, Emma Raducanu was selected to play for the British team in the Fed Cup qualifying after Johanna Konta withdrew.

April 2021: Began training with coach Nigel Sears

In April 2021, Emma Raducanu began training with coach Nigel Sears.

September 2021: Tiffany & Co. Ambassador

In September 2021, Emma Raducanu became an ambassador for jewellery brand Tiffany & Co.

October 2021: Dior Ambassador

In October 2021, Emma Raducanu became an ambassador for Dior.

October 2021: Indian Wells Open

In October 2021, less than two weeks after winning the US Open, Emma Raducanu entered the Indian Wells Open, accepting a wildcard place in the main draw. She lost her first match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

November 2021: Sports Direct Advertisement

In November 2021, Emma Raducanu starred in a Christmas advertisement for sporting goods retailer Sports Direct.

November 2021: Sportswoman of the Year

In November 2021, Emma Raducanu was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Sunday Times.

November 2021: Champions Tennis Event and COVID-19 diagnosis

On 28 November 2021, Emma Raducanu participated in an exhibition match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the Champions Tennis event in the Royal Albert Hall and won. She was scheduled to play Bencic in another exhibition at the Mubadala Championship, before withdrawing after testing positive for COVID-19 in November 2021.

December 2021: Endorsement Deals

In December 2021, Emma Raducanu signed endorsement deals with British Airways and Evian bottled water.

December 2021: Awards and Recognition

In December 2021, Emma Raducanu won Sportswoman of the Year and the Peter Wilson Trophy, and was voted the 2021 WTA Newcomer of the Year. She was also named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year on 19 December 2021.

2021: Academic studies

In 2021, Emma Raducanu devoted time to her academic studies, preparing for her A-Level examinations.

2021: Wimbledon and US Open achievements

In 2021, Emma Raducanu, with a wildcard entry at Wimbledon, ranked outside the world's top 300, reached the fourth round at her first major tournament. Later in 2021, at the US Open, she became the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title, beating Leylah Fernandez in the final without dropping a set.

2021: US Open Champion

In 2021, Raducanu won the US Open. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 10 by the WTA, and became the first British woman to win a singles major since 1977.

2021: Canadian Open Defeat

In August 2022, Emma Raducanu debuted at the Canadian Open, where she was defeated by 2021 tournament winner Camila Giorgi in the first round.

2021: Transylvania Open

Later in October 2021, Emma Raducanu entered the Transylvania Open, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, as the third seed. There, she earned her first WTA Tour victory by defeating Polona Hercog.

January 2022: Sydney International and Australian Open Debut

In January 2022, Emma Raducanu began the season at the Sydney International with a loss to Elena Rybakina. She reached her career-high singles ranking of No. 18 on 10 January 2022, and made her Australian Open debut as the 17th seed, defeating Sloane Stephens in the first round.

January 2022: Stalking Incident

On 28 January 2022, a man named Amrit Magar was found guilty of stalking Raducanu at her home, causing her to feel unsafe.

February 2022: Career-High Ranking and Injury at Abierto Zapopan

On 14 February 2022, Emma Raducanu climbed to a new career-high singles ranking of 12. At the Abierto Zapopan in February 2022, she retired in her first-round match due to an injury.

February 2022: Sentencing of Stalker

On 23 February 2022, Amrit Magar, who stalked Emma Raducanu, was sentenced to community service and given a five-year restraining order.

March 2022: Ambassador for Vodafone and Porsche

In March 2022, Emma Raducanu became an ambassador for Vodafone and Porsche.

March 2022: Sports Star of the Year

In March 2022, Emma Raducanu was named Sports Star of the Year at the Stylist's Remarkable Women Awards 2022.

April 2022: Laureus World Sports Award

In April 2022, Emma Raducanu won the Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year.

June 2022: HSBC Deal and Marketing Campaigns

In June 2022, Emma Raducanu signed a four-year deal with HSBC and starred in marketing campaigns for Vodafone and Evian in the lead-up to Wimbledon.

June 2022: Estimated Net Worth

In June 2022, Emma Raducanu's net worth was estimated to be £12 million. She is represented by IMG executive Max Eisenbud and was ranked the 12th most marketable athlete in the world in 2022 by SportsPro.

July 2022: Top 10 Ranking

On 11 July 2022, Emma Raducanu reached the top 10 in the rankings.

September 2022: Ranking

Emma Raducanu fell out of the top 50 in the world, in September 2022.

2022: Clay-Court Season and Tournament Results

In 2022, Emma Raducanu started her clay-court season with the BJK Cup, helping Great Britain qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup finals. She reached the quarterfinal at the Stuttgart Open and lost to Iga Swiatek. She also participated in the Madrid Open, losing in the first round, and withdrew from the Italian Open and French Open qualifying rounds to focus on training.

2022: Washington Open and Doubles Debut

In August 2022, Emma Raducanu started the US Open Series by entering the Washington Open, advancing to the quarterfinals. She also made her professional doubles debut at the tournament with Clara Tauson. Raducanu also started working with coach Dmitry Tursunov on a trial basis.

2022: MBE Appointment

In the 2022 New Year Honours, Emma Raducanu was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contribution to tennis.

June 2023: Partnership with AirWayz

In June 2023, Emma Raducanu partnered with American digital media platform AirWayz, offering online tennis coaching for $2000 per session, with proceeds going to the LTA's Youth Coaching Programme.

November 2023: Withdrawal from Macau Exhibition Match

In November 2023, Emma Raducanu withdrew from a December exhibition match in Macau due to her ongoing recovery from hand and foot surgeries, which resulted in her world ranking dropping to No. 289. Her recovery involved working with different types of tennis balls, without a dedicated coach.

December 2023: Raducanu's Return to Tour Announced

In December 2023, it was announced that Emma Raducanu would return to the tour in January 2024.

2023: Season Performances and Injury

In 2023, Raducanu had a straight-sets victory against Marie Bouzková at the Abu Dhabi Open but lost to Ons Jabeur in the second round. She experienced a loss at the Qatar Open and reached the third round at the Indian Wells Open for the first time since the 2023 edition, before withdrawing from the Miami Open due to a lower back injury.

January 2024: Auckland Open Appearance

In January 2024, Emma Raducanu returned to the tour and accepted a wildcard into the Auckland Open, where she lost in the second round to Elina Svitolina.

June 2024: Grass-Court Season and Wimbledon Performance

In June 2024, Emma Raducanu began her grass-court season at the Nottingham Open, reaching the semifinals. She played at the Eastbourne International and achieved a top-ten win against Jessica Pegula. At Wimbledon, she reached the fourth round before being defeated by Lulu Sun.

February 2025: Man removed at Dubai Tournament

On 19 February 2025, A man was removed from the stadium at the Dubai tournament after exhibiting "fixated behaviour". Raducanu started crying and the man was removed from the stadium and subsequently banned from all WTA events. On 20 February 2025, the man signed a restraining order committing to distancing from Raducanu.

April 2025: Vodafone Partnership Ends

In April 2025, Vodafone ended their partnership with Emma Raducanu after she reportedly demanded 'too much money'.

2025: Auckland Open Withdrawal and Australian Open Performance

In 2025, Emma Raducanu withdrew from the Auckland Open due to a back injury. Her first match was at the Australian Open, where she reached the third round before losing to Iga Świątek.

2025: Billie Jean King Cup and Fitness Trainer

In November 2024, Emma Raducanu returned to competitive action at the Billie Jean King Cup finals, contributing to Great Britain's victories. In December 2024, she confirmed she had started working with fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura ahead of the 2025 season.