British Tennis star Emma Raducanu regrets winning the 2021 US Open as she feels she was very naive when she did and people treated her like a piggy bank in the years after. Raducanu beat Leylah Fernandez 6–4, 6–3 in the final, and on the way, she advanced to the semi-finals without dropping a set, becoming the fifth player in the open era to reach a grand slam semifinal as a qualifier.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Raducanu said that the WTA tour was not a safe space, especially for Tennis stars, because there were a lot of sharks out there. "When I won I was extremely naïve. What I have realised in the past two years, the tour and everything that comes with it, it's not a very nice, trusting and safe space. You have to be on guard because there are a lot of sharks out there," said Raducanu.
Raducanu was 18 when she became the first British woman to win the tournament since Virginia Wade in 1968.
She added that people viewed her as a piggy bank and since then she has kept her circle small. "I think people in the industry, especially with me because I was 19, now 20, they see me as a piggy bank. It has been difficult to navigate. I have been burnt a few times. I have learnt, keep your circle as small as possible," Raducanu said.
Raducanu broke into the top 20 after winning the US Open but has not emulated the same success since. The Brit recently dropped to the ranking of 128.
"I am resilient, my tolerance is high, but it's not easy. And sometimes I think to myself I wish I'd never won the US Open, I wish that didn't happen. Then I am like, remember that feeling, remember that promise because it was completely pure," she added.
Raducanu missed the 2023 French Open and will also not participate in the Wimbledon as she recovers from surgery on her wrists and ankle.
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