Emma Raducanu has revealed why she is not friends with many of her fellow competitors on the WTA Tour.
Raducanu, 22, has endured mixed fortunes since bursting onto the scene four years ago as she won the US Open at the age of 18 – while becoming the first-ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam title.
The Brit has struggled for consistency in her career ever since, admitting to suffering panic attacks while on court in the past and having to overcome the harrowing ordeal of confronting a stalker at one of her matches in Dubai in February.
Attending a press conference prior to her second round match at the Washington Open against Naomi Osaka on Thursday evening, Raducanu opened up when asked about her relationships with other players.
She said: ‘I think when we’re on the tour, it’s very difficult to really open up with other players that you’re competing against,’ she said.
‘I think for me, I have a few friends on the tour, but it does add another dimension when you play them.
Emma Raducanu has admitted that she does not have many friendships with fellow players on the WTA tour
The Brit has struggled for continuity in her career since winning the US Open aged 18
However, Raducanu has also admitted to taking comfort from her close inner circle of friends
‘I have really good friends at home that I can trust and speak to, but other than that, you know, I don’t think that, yeah, this is — for me, I just find it harder to compete against a person I’m friends with.’
Raducanu also shook her head when asked if she had met Osaka before, who she will face on tour for the first time in Washington.
However, she attributed that to the very different paths to the top that both players had taken in their respective careers.
Before Raducanu won the US Open in 2021, Osaka had already lifted four Grand Slams of her own, winning both the French Open and Australian Open on two occasions to establish herself as one of the world’s top players.
She was also the top ranked women’s player from January 2019 and has held the title of world number one for 25 weeks over the course of her career.
That was a factor highlighted by Raducanu, who added: ‘When I won my US Open, I came from school, I was no one, I was 200 in the world, and Naomi [Osaka] had already won’.
‘She was already a known figure on the tour, and people kind of expected, okay, like, she’s going to start doing well and start winning Slams.
‘Whereas I think when I won, it was completely out of nowhere. It means that I didn’t quite build the foundations she had when she won her Grand Slams, which I think is why she was able to repeat and win another three, you know, back-to-back US Open and Australia.
Attending a press conference prior to her second round match at the Washington Open against Naomi Osaka on Thursday evening, Raducanu opened up when asked about her relationships
Raducanu added that she had never met Naomi Osaka, who she will play in the Washington Open on Thursday evening
‘I think she was an established pro tour player, whereas I didn’t necessarily feel that way. It’s probably why I had a lot more dips afterwards.’
Raducanu will be hoping to advance to the quarter-finals in Washington after an impressive showing at this year’s Wimbledon.
She showed flashes of her brilliance with victories in her opening two matches of the tournament, including a victory over 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Her run came to an end in the third round in battling loss to top seed Aryna Sabalenka – although it provided hope for Raducanu’s fans that she is returning to somewhere near her best after a tumultuous last few years.
While Raducanu has admitted to finding friendships difficult to maintain on tour, she has also spoken about the benefits of having such a close inner circle of friends.
Speaking about how she felt more at ease thanks to their presence at Wimbledon, she said during the tournament: ‘I have all of them here in one place. They’ve been my rock through everything. They’re the closest people to me outside of my family. That was really special.
‘I think it adds more significance because they never really get to come and watch me. We made it an annual thing. They can come to Wimbledon. It aligns with everyone’s calendar. A lot of them live in America.
‘They’re friends from secondary school, childhood. One of them I’ve known since I was 6 years old. Then another one since I was 14.
Raducanu has been romantically linked to Benjamin Heynold – although neither have discussed this publicly
Heynold (pictured bottom left) has been a fixture in Raducanu’s player box since her appearance at Queen’s
‘Yeah, it’s just so special. They’re in the box there. When I look over to them, it just gives me an extra boost of motivation.’
That includes a childhood friend who has been linked romantically to Raducanu previously, re-sparking rumours last month when he sat court-side during her run at Queen’s.
Benjamin Heynold, who is currently studying at the University of North Carolina, was present for her historic US Open win four years ago, and first met Raducanu as junior tennis players.
As one of the few in New York able to cheer Raducanu on in person amid post-Covid-19 restrictions, Heynold will likely have a unique perspective on her rise to fame.
So close with the family is Raducanu that Heynold’s mother was also inside Centre Court as part of the player’s group at Wimbledon.
Other friends who date back beyond that US Open win include Ryan Cohen, a Boston-based product manager who was pictured visiting Winter Wonderland with Heynold and the star the year before her celebrity exploded.
Close girlfriends in her corner include London-based junior doctor Tessa Teo, Carla Wilfert – who attended the match with her boyfriend, UCLA American football star Michael Churich – personal trainer Chelsea Annalls, and Raducanu’s close friend Shauna, who lives in Dubai.
