Emma Raducanu was treated differently by her parents – now their relationship has changed

Emma Raducanu currently enjoys a strong relationship with her mother despite previously admitting that she had a lot of pressure placed on her when she was younger. The 21-year-old was forced to make a number of sacrifices while growing up in order to become the elite athlete she is today.

Raducanu was born in Toronto to a Romanian father, Ian, and a Chinese mother, Renee, before moving to the UK at an early age. The family ultimately settled in Bromley, where Raducanu discovered her talent for tennis despite a lack of initial enthusiasm.

Her mother has played a key role in helping the young Brit grow throughout her life, both as a person and an athlete. Raducanu recently described her mother as her ‘best friend’ and spoke highly of the unbreakable bond they share.

“My mum is a big pillar of mine in all senses, professional and personal,” she told Women’s Health magazine. “She knows me inside out. It’s kind of freaky, so I go to her a lot. She’s my best friend.”

Their current relationship is different from when Raducanu was growing up. She was initially pushed into playing tennis by her father despite showing little interest in stepping onto the court.

The one-time US Open champion opened up on her parents’ hardline approach in an interview with The Times earlier this year.

“They are so pushy,” she said. “When I was younger, more so. Now they are at a place where they tell me what they think is best, but they realise ultimately that the more they push, the more I am going to resist.

“I’ve seen some great people who I was playing with in the juniors who had way more lenient parents who were like: ‘It’s OK if you lost’. And those players don’t play tennis anymore, so I don’t blame my parents for it.”

Raducanu was also banned from having boyfriends while growing up, with her rise to fame coming at the cost of any teenage romances. Her parents stopped her from getting into any relationships, which caused her to resent them at times.

“My parents were very much against [boyfriends] as it interfered with training,” she added. “When I was younger I wasn’t even allowed to hang out with my girl friends. A lot of the time I was very resentful, but it made me very confident and comfortable in my own company.”