Newly crowned US Open champion stresses pride in Dongbei roots as popularity soars on social media

The new darling of tennis fans across the world, Emma Raducanu is embracing her soaring popularity in China as the magnitude of her major breakthrough sinks in.

The teenager shot to fame earlier this month by triumphing at the US Open in New York to become the first qualifier to ever win a major title. Yet, the 18-year-old Londoner, who was born in Canada to a Chinese mother and Romanian father, admits she is still struggling to get her head around her meteoric rise.

"I actually haven't really realized to what extent everything is happening, because when I landed home yesterday I just slept the whole day and I haven't left the house yet," Raducanu told China Daily in an exclusive online interview on Sept 17 after returning home to Bromley, southeast London. "So it'll be interesting to see what's awaiting me. I'm not sure."

Raducanu became Britain's first female Grand Slam winner in 44 years after beating fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez of Canada in straight sets at Flushing Meadows.

With her face plastered on billboards across the city, a whirlwind few days in New York ensued for Raducanu. She enjoyed a taste of celebrity life when she attended the star-studded Met Gala, before paying a visit to the New York Stock Exchange.

Without a doubt, the world is witnessing a superstar in the making. Raducanu's entertaining style of play, marketable looks, engaging personality and mixed heritage all combine to make her a golden branding package, according to sports marketing experts.

"Tennis is a very popular sport, and as a female from a multicultural background that ticks a lot of boxes. She could be very successful commercially," Liu Lingling, managing director of Beijing-based China Sport Business Consulting, told inews.com.uk.

Liu reckons that Raducanu could be the first British sports star to truly make it big in China, especially considering she is represented by experienced IMG agent Max Eisenbud, who has previously worked with China's two-time major winner Li Na, an idol of Raducanu's.

Raducanu's popularity on social media has taken off with her Instagram followers rocketing to over 2 million, up from about 400,000 before the US Open.

A video of Raducanu addressing her Chinese fans in Mandarin went viral on her newly launched Weibo account, gaining 1.67 million views in the first eight hours of being posted.

Raducanu, who is a regular visitor to her mother's home city of Shenyang, Liaoning province, has been keen to stress her pride in her Chinese roots.

"I am a 'Dongbei girl' because my mom comes from Dongbei, the northeastern part of China," Raducanu said during the Zoom call with China Daily. "I went to China to see my family members, especially my grandma quite often. Thanks for everyone's support there and I am sure that I will go back to playing tournaments in China next year."

During the US Open, Raducanu revealed that the mental toughness she admires from her mother's family played a big part in carrying her through her astonishing title run.

"They are so mentally resilient, it's like nothing can bring them down. I would say I take a big part of my inspiration from her," she said.

With quarantine still mandatory for international travelers coming to China, the Women's Tennis Association has canceled, or removed, all of its tour-level events originally scheduled for this fall in China, including the prestigious season-ending WTA Finals, for a second straight year.

Should the China swing resume next year, Raducanu is expected to meet her idol Li, who congratulated the British teen following her US Open victory through IMG.

"It means a lot to receive a message from Li Na because she is one of my role models that I watched growing up, and I really tried to copy some of the parts of her game and use them myself," said Raducanu, who boasts a similarly lethal backhand to Li's. "I loved her mental strength and her physicality and how aggressive she was."

Born in Toronto, Raducanu moved with her parents, who work in finance, to England when she was 2 years old. She first picked up a racket at 5, and after showing early promise at Bromley Tennis Academy, earned a scholarship from the Lawn Tennis Association which allowed her to train while continuing her school work.

After taking her A-Level exams in math and economics in May, she returned to the tennis court this summer following a break to focus on her academic study and captured the world's attention by storming into the last 16 at Wimbledon in her Grand Slam debut as a wild-card entry.

With her New York fairytale now etched in tennis history, Raducanu is back in the gym and on the court in preparation for her next tournament, likely the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, which starts on Oct 4.

"I won't overcommit myself. I will take it how it is and the most important thing for myself is tennis and training and improving," Raducanu, who has climbed to No 23 in the world rankings, told Sky News.

Asked how many Grand Slam titles she's targeting, Raducanu insists that she is just taking things one match at a time, but admits winning in her home city at Wimbledon is a big goal.

"I haven't given myself (a target) like, 'I am gonna win this many Grand Slams.' I think that's very ambitious," she said.

"If I were to pick one, then Wimbledon would probably be my choice, just because it's such a prestigious event at home, and with all the home support I think it would be very special."