What’s Wimbledon wild card Emma Raducanu like off the courts? The teenage tennis star speaks Mandarin, loves Formula One and binges Taiwanese TV shows

Widely regarded as the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon came back with a bang after a pandemic-induced hiatus last year. There has been no shortage of nail-biting action, with veterans matching up while high-profile guests serve courtside looks. However, no one stole the show quite like Emma Raducanu.

Formerly an unknown tennis player ranked No 338 in the world, this 18-year-old wild card hopeful made history as the youngest British woman to reach Wimbledon’s fourth round since 1968. Raducanu naturally captured the hearts of her home crowd – not only with her incredible performance, but also with her winning smile.

Heartbreakingly, Raducanu’s fairy tale did not have the happiest ending after she had to withdraw from her highly anticipated match with Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović because of health reasons. Still, there is a lot more to know about this Wimbledon breakout star than what we have witnessed so far on the grass courts.

A multicultural heritage

One look at Raducanu’s social media accounts – which have been gaining thousands of followers by the minute – and newly converted fans will spot four significant cities (London, Toronto, Bucharest and Shenyang!) in her bio.

Born in Canada to a Romanian father and Chinese mother, the future Wimbledon star and her family moved to the United Kingdom when she was just two years old. Despite her jam-packed schedule as an athlete, Raducanu still finds time to visit her parents’ hometowns in Bucharest and Shenyang. She has even gushed about her paternal grandmother’s cooking and shared how she admires her maternal relatives’ resilience, according to The I.

A high academic achiever