All About British Tennis Star Emma Raducanu

Tennis champion Emma Raducanu made her professional debut at age 13

Tennis superstar Emma Raducanu is taking the sporting world by storm.

Since making her professional debut with the International Tennis Federation at just 13 years old — the earliest allowed — she has gone on to break several records thanks to her racket skills.

In 2021, she was named the Women's Tennis Association's newcomer of the year. Past winners include both Serena and Venus Williams.

"To join those names, I think, is pretty crazy," she told PEOPLE. "And I don't really believe it, because they've achieved so much. So for me to be part of that little group, I think, is a good achievement. But I'm just really looking forward to getting started from here and trying to really make my tour experience and my tour legacy prolonged."

That same year, at the US Open, the then-18-year-old became the first British woman to win a major singles title in 53 years. She was also the youngest British player to ever win a Grand Slam when she defeated opponent Leylah Fernandez in two sets.

At the 2022 Western & Southern Open in Ohio, Raducanu beat Serena Williams 6-4, 6-0 during a 32-round match.

Raducanu made sure to convey her respect and admiration for Williams after the match. "I think we all need to just honor Serena and her amazing career," she said to reporters, per CNN. "I'm so grateful for the experience, being able to play her, and for our careers to have crossed over, and everything she has achieved is so inspirational."

Keep reading for everything there is to know about British tennis player Emma Raducanu.

She started playing tennis at age 5

According to the U.K.'s Lawn Tennis Association, Raducanu first set foot on a tennis court at the age of 5. Her dad took her to the courts in her local park and at the Bromley Tennis Centre in London.

The young star was recognized for her outstanding talent early on; she won her first youth tournament at just 6 years old.

She was made an MBE

In November 2022, Raducanu was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, or an MBE, by King Charles for her contributions to tennis, per ESPN. An MBE is an order of chivalry given by the reigning monarch, rewarding contributions in the arts, sciences, welfare and public service.

"A great honour receiving an MBE from his majesty the King today," Raducanu captioned a photo of her shaking the King's hand. "Pretty amazing day, am mbe pm ntc🤷‍♀️🎾!!"

She speaks several languages

Not only is she exceptionally skilled at tennis, but the sports pro is also fluent in Mandarin and semi-fluent in Romanian. Her mom is from Shenyang, China, while her dad is from Bucharest, Romania.

After the 2021 US Open, she posted a message for her Chinese-speaking fans on her official Weibo account.

"Hi everyone, I want to say thank you, I hope you enjoy watching my tennis," she wrote in Mandarin, per NBC News. "I am very happy now, but we won the game! Goodbye, I love you."

Raducanu reflected on her Chinese heritage during an interview with British Vogue in September 2021.

"My mum comes from a Chinese background. They have very good self-belief," she said. "It's not necessarily about telling everyone how good you are, but it's about believing it within yourself. I really respect that about the culture."

Ahead of the 2021 Transylvania Open, held annually in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, she spoke to fans in Romanian, as reported by Talksport.

"The thing is I can understand like 80 percent of Romanian," she said. "I don't want to big myself up. I just really struggle to find my words and vocab. When I got told about this thing at the end of the session, and I would be speaking to the crowd, I was thinking of my vocab at the changeovers."

She added, "The more I spend time here, the more I immerse myself in the language, and I can pick it up reasonably fast."

She holds dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and Canada

Raducanu may have a British accent, but the star was actually born in Toronto and moved to London with her family at age 2. The Toronto Star reported that she has dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Proud of her multicultural roots, Raducanu has four cities listed in her Twitter bio: London, Toronto, Shenyang and Bucharest.

Her parents keep her grounded

The athlete has praised her parents for keeping her level-headed and always supporting her in her endeavors.

In 2021, she told PEOPLE, "[My parents are] really good at keeping me on the ground and really good at keeping me focused and just plugging away a day at a time, not getting too high with the wins or too low with the losses."

She added: "They have full-time jobs. So, I mean, from a young age I was at school alone or at childminders. And then I'd play tennis at 7:00 a.m. in the morning and then maybe at 8:00 p.m. in the evening under the floodlights and in the rain on the artificial clay courts."

"So I think looking back, just to see how far I've come, and their support, for them to bring me to this stage, I really respect and I'm so grateful for the sacrifices that they made," she continued.

She says that playing sports brought out her confidence

Raducanu has said that she was shy as a kid, and finding her passion for sports gave her a confidence boost.

"If tennis gave me one thing, it's confidence," she told PEOPLE in 2021 of the advice she'd give to aspiring young athletes. "I was a really shy little girl. And I know when I was training and had to play with the boys, I was kind of scared of them and wasn't loving it. But then it brings you so much confidence. And I feel like I'm in such a better place now that I played the sport as a girl."

The British royal family are big fans

The royal family are big fans of the tennis star. Following her victory against Fernandez at the 2021 US Open, Raducanu received praise from Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and Kate Middleton.

"I send my congratulations to you on your success in winning the United States Open Tennis Championships. It is a remarkable achievement at such a young age, and is testament to your hard work and dedication," the Queen said in a statement posted on the royal family's Instagram account.

"I have no doubt your outstanding performance, and that of your opponent Leylah Fernandez, will inspire the next generation of tennis players. I send my warmest good wishes to you and your many supporters," the statement continued.

William and Kate also congratulated Raducanu on their Instagram, writing: "Huge congratulations @EmmaRaducanu on your stunning performances and historic Grand Slam victory! Incredible — we are all so proud of you."

Kate Middleton inspires her

After hitting the court for a game of doubles with Kate, Raducanu spoke of her fondness for the royal.

"I think the duchess is such a great inspiration, just with how she handles everything and how she does so much good work for charities," she told PEOPLE in December 2021. "She's a real inspiration to the whole country."

As for Kate's playing skills, Raducanu noted that the now-Princess of Wales had an "incredible" forehand.

If she weren't a tennis player, she'd work in finance

In a video for HSBC, Raducanu said that she would have liked to work with numbers if she hadn't made it big in the tennis world.

"If I wasn't a tennis player, I'd definitely want to work in finance," the HSBC ambassador said. "I remember since I was a little kid I would go into the [bank] branches with my parents."

According to The Mirror, Raducanu took her A-level exams in mathematics and economics and received high scores in both.

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