Life in the Middle East is quite different from other places, they say! When we talk about the Middle East, what are the things that come to your mind first? Lavish lifestyle, fancy cars, and stunning skyscrapers, right? British tennis star Emma Raducanu recently had a trip to Abu Dhabi. In a recently viral video clip released by HSBC, the tennis star was seen unveiling her love for architectural brilliance in that part of the world. She’s just like one of us, right? However, her love for architecture isn’t new! This is something she has inherited from her father.

Emma Raducanu was born in Toronto, Canada, to a Chinese mother, Renee Zhang, and a Romanian father, Ian Raducanu. Her father had graduated from the Faculty of Construction, Bucharest, and then he had worked in the construction sector before making a switch to a very well-paid job in the finance sector. So, Emma Raducanu’s love for architecture came from his father. Speaking of the things that come to her mind while talking about the Middle East, Raducanu said, it’s the “vision” that surprises her the most.

She highlighted the epic time she had in Abu Dhabi and elaborated on her experiences of spending time watching the sunset while sitting on the majestic desert. It was a “surreal experience” for Raducanu. In that video clip, she further added, “I think the standout thing for me was the architecture in the entire region. It’s something that I’m quite keen about and passionate about. My dad studied structural engineering, so he always put into me good architecture. So from a young age, I’ve always had that in my mind and just seeing what they’re able to create in such a short time is so impressive.“

Previously during a WTA event in Chicago, we saw her finding some time to visit “the Bean,” Anish Kapoor’s CloudGate sculpture, in the city between her matches. Apart from instilling her love for architecture, her father has always encouraged her to participate in extracurricular right from a young age. Be it swimming, horse-riding, golfing, skiing, and of course, tennis. Can you believe she was taking ballet classes at 19? What role did Emma Raducanu’s parents play in shaping her life?

“They are so pushy” – Emma Raducanu reveals her key to success

Emma Raducanu‘s parents have time and again reminded her how important it is to get an education to lead a better life in the future. She revealed that her parents were very “pushy” when she was young and perhaps that’s what she feels made her strong over the years. According to her statement from a previous interview, “They are so pushy. When I was younger, more so. Now they are at a place where they tell me what they think is best, but they realize ultimately that the more they push, the more I am going to resist.”

She further added, “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. I was very lucky in the way I was brought up.” Emma Raducanu then spoke about how she had to face a lot of challenges over the years but still, she managed to overcome all of those! How? According to Raducanu, her mother had instilled resilience in her right from a very young age. So, no matter how bad things are, she always finds a way or two to overcome all of them.

Talking about challenges and tough times, Emma Raucanus’s career after the 2021 US Open has been full of injuries and setbacks. She was recently forced to pull out of the Asian swing due to a ligament injury on her foot she suffered in her QF match at the Korea Open. Ever since then her fans have been wondering when they’d see her in action back again in the 2024 season. Well, for all those fans there is some good news!

According to the Daily Mail, she has been training at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre and her team said: “Emma is training well and being with the team next week is her focus.” She’s trying her best to return to the BJK Cup in full form. As per the reports, the team would reach Malaga on Monday to play against Germany in the first round on November 13. Do you think Raducanu can make a strong comeback and end the year on the highest note?