What a Year for Emma Raducanu

When the year 2021 rolled in, her name was known by only a select few. When Sportingbet published their list of “Who Will Be the Next ATP Stars,” there was no mention of WTA future stars because there was no one on the horizon worth mentioning – or so it seemed.

But, by the time 2022 was about to roll in, her name was known by all tennis fans in the UK and around the world. Yes, we are talking about 19-year-old Emma Raducanu, the youngster who sent hopes soaring at Wimbledon in July, only to see them cruelly crushed, but who in September rewrote the record books by becoming the first British female tennis player in 44 years to win a Grand Slam.

She ended the year being voted the BBC Personality of the Year.

With fame goes fortune, and by the end of 2021, young Emma Raducanu’s list of endorsements includes tennis racquet manufacturers Nike and Wilson. She has also reached agreements with Dior and Tiffany, wearing one of the latter’s creations at the US Grand Slam Ball. Her youthful and beautiful looks make her natural for luxury, romantic brands.

Her latest sponsorship deal is as a global ambassador for the bottled water brand Evian. Other sponsorships include British Airways and Vodafone, the last of which is said to be worth £3 million per year. She is allowed to have around six sponsorships at a time, providing none of them clash, and one thing is for sure – she will not be short of offers.

Emma Raducanu’s net worth is reputedly around £10 million, and this is only her first year in the spotlight.

In her fledgling career to date, Raducanu has already rewritten the record books.

• She is the first player ever to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier.
• The youngest British female tennis player to reach the round of 16 at Wimbledon
• The youngest tennis female player to win a major since Maria Sharipova won Wimbledon in 2004.
• The first British woman to win a US Open title in 53 years.
• The first British woman to win a Grand Slam in 44 years.

Her remarkable feat of winning the US Grand Slam, when she beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3, was achieved without dropping a set.

What lies in store for Emma, we can only hope and imagine. She is due to play in the Australian Open in January 2022, where she is seeded 19. One thing is for sure, though, and that is now the other players on the WTA circuit are aware of her, they will have done their homework, and further success, if it comes, is going to be hard-earned.