Emma Raducanu has confessed to feeling “isolated” at school as she opened up on the sacrifices she made to become a professional tennis player. In a chat with students from Wolverley Secondary School, the US Open champion said she was left with few friends after committing to her career, as she now gears up to return to the site of her historic Grand Slam victory.
Raducanu hit headlines when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in her Grand Slam debut as the 338th-ranked wildcard last year, and then became an overnight sensation after lifting the US Open trophy as a qualifier weeks later. But the world No 10 wasn’t always popular for her choice to become a tennis pro, as she lifted the lid on the “biggest sacrifice” she made.
“You know how secondary school is,” she said, speaking to students from Wolverley Secondary School in a video chat. “All the kind of friendship groups are formed in like year seven, eight, nine, and they’re constantly changing in the early few years.
“So if you’re not there and you’re not going to some things or hanging out at lunch, or break, then, you know, you kind of get isolated and forgotten about.” While the 19-year-old admitted to giving up the friendships and social side of school, she admitted she eventually took it in her stride and found her confidence elsewhere.
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