"I used to be really shy as a young girl; beating the boys and coming back when I was losing, that just brought me a lot of confidence" - Emma Raducanu reflects on her tennis journey

For Emma Raducanu, her tennis career during the formative years was her biggest 'confidence booster'. The British teenager, who started playing the sport at the age of five, reflected on how her younger days moulded her into the person she is today.

Still just 19, Raducanu is already one of the superstars of tennis, with her incredible 2021 US Open title being regarded as one of the greatest Grand Slam campaigns.

During a recent chat with students from Wolverley Secondary School, the teenager spoke about how working hard to overcome losses and 'beating the boys' on the court instilled a lot of confidence in her.

"I used to be really shy as a young girl and playing tennis and beating the boys and coming back when I was losing, that just brought me a lot of confidence," said Emma Raducanu.

"Yeah, I can say that I'm definitely more comfortable and outgoing now than I was when I was younger, and I think tennis has brought me that," she added.

Despite already experiencing some highs in the sport, Raducanu is just getting started in her career. She reflected on the sacrifices she had to make in her younger days, with the biggest among them being not having the chance to make many friends in school.

"You know how secondary school is. All the kind of friendship groups are formed in like year 7, 8, 9 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," Raducanu stated.

"I sort of made peace with that later on, I just went to school to study. But I'd say that not having as many friends from school is probably one of the biggest sacrifices I had to make," she added.

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Emma Raducanu almost gave up on tennis during COVID-19 pandemic

Emma Raducanu during The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

Even before her career kicked off, Emma Raducanu went through a moment of serious doubt when the coronavirus pandemic peaked and forced the world into a standstill. The defending US Open champion explained how the pandemic affected her and restricted her from playing tennis for eight long months.

However, she shed light on how she stood strong throughout it all, before sharing a bit of valuable advice for those listening.

"When you feel like you're really low, then you can take a bit of comfort that something good is coming your way, because it doesn't last forever. No matter how down you might feel. It will make you so much stronger as a person too if you've had those low moments and you've overcome them. You'll definitely feel a lot better about yourself later on," Raducanu said.

During the chat, she also revealed that she would have followed in the footsteps of her parents and pursued a career in finance if she hadn't become a professional tennis player.

After making an early exit at Wimbledon this year, the Brit took some time off before making the trip to Florida for a few days of training at the IMG Academy. Raducanu will start her American hardcourt swing at the Citi Open in Washington DC and hope to end it by defending her US Open crown.