Grand Slam-winning tennis star Emma Raducanu recently touched down in Melbourne for the 2023 Australian Open. Porsche Cars Australia caught up with the former US Open winner where she shared her thoughts on sacrificing to succeed, her dream Porsche sportscar, and how she celebrated after meeting King Charles III.
Christmas 2022 was not the usual snow-white affair for Emma Raducanu. Instead of the familiarity of a family gathering in a chilly UK, the 20-year-old tennis champion and Porsche brand ambassador celebrated the festive season with friends in sunny Singapore, squeezing in a week of training before heading to the summer climates of Auckland in New Zealand for the ASB Classic, and then to Melbourne for the Australian Open, the first grand slam event on the 2023 WTA Tour.
“I’m really excited to get the season underway,” she says, enjoying Melbourne’s January warmth and atmosphere. “I had a long off-season and put a lot of physical work in so it’s great to get back to competition.”
Getting underway in Australia is something of a bonus. The 2021 US Open winner says Seoul and Singapore are two of her favourite places to play competitive tennis, and is quick to add the land “down under” sits alongside them.
“Obviously I haven’t played everywhere. I’d still love to play tournaments in China and Japan. I really like being in Asia, I always feel so welcome and feel at home with the culture. Australia is one of the best places to play. It has such a good atmosphere and there’s always a good feeling about the place here.”
Even with a few extra countries yet to be stamped in her playing passport, travel is a big part of Emma’s busy schedule. Life on the road as a top-flight professional tennis player regularly keeps her from home but the young Briton approaches it with her trademark positivity.
“There are certainly sacrifices you make being on the pro tour, but I think there are sacrifices you need to make in any profession if you want to be successful. Being away from home is one of ours, but at the same time it’s an opportunity to see the world.”
Recognising opportunities is the mark of any successful competitor. Harnessing them for maximum advantage is the mark of a champion, something Emma has demonstrated many times during her impressive playing career. But even with her laser-like focus to make it to the top of her chosen sport, there’s always a curious what if? question the world is keen to hear answered. So, if it wasn’t tennis, what would she pursue?
“I would love to have been a racing driver but I think realistically if I wasn’t a tennis player I would have worked in finance. I like working with numbers and studied maths and economics for my A Levels so I would probably have continued down that path.”
Her reply makes perfect sense. The precision, discipline and methodical approach she uses so effectively on-court are the perfect ingredients for a numbers-based career. And as a talented and skilled athlete, she has already shown her natural abilities behind the wheel, including a stint driving a Porsche 911 Carrera S with fellow Porsche brand ambassador Mark Webber, and a day spent driving the all-new 911 GT3 at the Brands Hatch circuit in the UK.
Emma Raducanu lived out her passion for Porsche and motorsport at the Porsche Experience Centre.
The idea of Emma Raducanu as a professional racing driver is tantalising. It’s a natural connection. Her relationship with Porsche started many years ago when a tennis coach from her early days drove a 911, something she still remembers well. And it sparked a love that remains to this day.
“Owning a 911 GT3 RS would be a dream,” she says. “I was able to drive a 911 GT3 at my local track a last month and that was very cool, but the RS would be the next step up.”
And it would need to include one important detail: “The colour I want the most is Porsche Forest Green.”
Along with time, authenticity underpins Emma’s long-standing passion for Porsche. It is an important part of her connection to the sportscar maker.
“I’ve always been a big Porsche fan and driving is one of my favourite hobbies. I think we work together very well because we just bounce ideas off each other and make cool things happen. Porsche is also providing an amazing platform for me to build my driving and engineering skills so it makes sense on so many levels.”
Along with her authentic approach, Emma’s commitment to win shows in everything she does. Her home country acknowledged this last year when she was honoured with an MBE for her services to tennis, which she received at a special ceremony with King Charles III. It was more than a memorable moment: “It was a great honour, and an amazing experience to receive it from His Majesty himself.” But the celebrations that followed couldn’t escape her trademark commitment to the sport she loves.
“I went to Windsor Castle with my family to attend the ceremony in the morning, dressed in a day dress and hat. And then two hours later I was on-court training, having got changed in the car! So that was how I celebrated!”
With a typical speed of serve of more than 100 mph, Emma Raducanu is no stranger to power, speed, and agility. The Grand Slam winner and British No 1 recently took a break from her athletic training schedule to explore her other passion, when she took the wheel of a 198 mph Porsche 911 GT3 at Brands Hatch, to the southeast of London, England.
The 20-year-old Briton has been one of the new faces in women’s tennis.
The Porsche Golf Circle travels to St Andrews and the legendary Home of Golf where the global Community enjoyed three unforgettable days. For the guests from four continents, a dream was fulfilled by playing two of the most spectacular golf courses worldwide – the Kingsbarns Golf Links as well as the Old Course, the world’s oldest and most famous course.
Angelique Kerber is looking to return to competitive tennis as soon as possible after giving birth. This was revealed by the Porsche Brand Ambassador in a Porsche Newsroom interview conducted during her stay in Leipzig for the Opera Ball. And she is mainly focussed on one thing: “I’d love to play for Germany again at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.”
The Porsche Newsroom is a service provided by the Porsche Communication for journalists, bloggers and the online community.
© 2023 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG
^ The published electricity consumption (kWh per 100 km), charging times (hours/minutes) and kilometre (km) range are estimates determined in accordance with the Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) – see www.porsche.com/wltp. The WLTP is the test procedure used in the European Union and does not apply in Australia, where the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) remains the appropriate test standard under ADR 81/02. Actual figures will vary as they are dependent on many factors including driving style, road and traffic conditions, weather conditions, a vehicle’s features, equipment, accessories, condition, load and use. Extra features and accessories (attachments, tyre formats, etc.) can change relevant vehicle parameters such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics can also affect the electricity consumption and performance values of a car. The published charging times are estimated using the vehicle’s charging equipment and European charging facilities, with the battery temperature under optimum conditions and the vehicle having an initial charge status of 5%. CO₂ emissions can also be generated at the power source when vehicles are being charged, unless 100% renewable energy is used. As Australian models have not been tested in accordance with the NEDC procedure, the published figures do not apply in Australia and must not be relied upon in making a decision as to whether to purchase a vehicle. Please contact an Official Porsche Centre to obtain more information.
* The published fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions figures are determined by Porsche AG laboratory testing in accordance with ADR 81/02 on test vehicles. Actual figures will depend on many factors, including without limitation: road and traffic conditions, fuel quality, environmental conditions, individual driving style, vehicle load, vehicle condition and use (including any additional equipment and/or accessories) and how the vehicle is driven. For hybrid or electric vehicles, CO₂ emissions can also be generated at the power source when vehicles are being recharged, unless 100% renewable energy is used. Generally, fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions will differ from the published figures in real world driving conditions. Published figures should only be used for the purpose of comparison between vehicles.
** All events on the revised calendar are subject to change. Both Porsche Cars Australia and Supercars will ensure that all events are compliant with appropriate State, Territory and Federal regulations as they continue to be updated in response to COVID-19 and otherwise. The stringent guidelines developed by Supercars for each event are based on expert medical advice and the advice of their Australian Government partners (as well as Motorsport Australia) to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all teams, drivers and officials.
1. All information offered on Porsche Newsroom, including but not limited to, texts, images, audio and video documents, are subject to copyright or other legislation for the protection of intellectual property. They are intended exclusively for use by journalists as a source for their own media reporting and are not intended for commercial use, in particular for advertising purposes. It is not permitted to pass on texts, images, audio or video data to unauthorised third parties.
2. All logos and trademarks mentioned on Porsche Newsroom are trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (hereinafter: Porsche AG), unless otherwise stated.
3. All contents of Porsche Newsroom are carefully researched and compiled. Nevertheless, the information may contain errors or inaccuracies. Porsche AG does not accept any liability with respect to the results that may be achived through the use of the information, in particular with respect to accuracy, up-to-dateness and completeness.
4. Insofar as Porsche Newsroom provides information concerning vehicles, the data refers to the German market. Statements concerning standard equipment and statutory, legal and tax regulations and repercussion are valid for the Federal Public of Germany only.
5. With respect to the use of Porsche Newsroom, technical faults such as, delays to news transmission, cannot be ruled out. Porsche AG does not accept any liability for any resulting damage.
6. Insofar as Porsche Newsroom provides links to the internet sites of third parties, Porsche AG does not accept any responsibility for the content of the linked sites. On using the links, the user leaves the Porsche AG information products.
7. In agreeing to these rights of use, the user shall be obliged to refrain from any improper use of Porsche Newsroom.
8. In the event of improper use, Porsche AG reserves the right to block access to Porsche Newsroom.
9. Should one or more provisions of these terms and conditions be or become invalid, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions.
Recent Comments