Emma Raducanu reveals how her parents motivated her to succeed

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2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu says she has always been ultra-competitive and her dedication to proving people wrong is what has helped her achieve tennis dreams. Raducanu, 19, is now the face of British tennis and one of the most recognizable British athletes.

Since Raducanu was a little kid, she was striving to win pretty much everything she contested. "My parents told me when things weren't very good, whereas other people might have wanted to encourage me," Raducanu told Evening Standard.

"They always told me how it is, and I always had this sense of wanting to prove them wrong. Even in primary school. We had a sprint race on sports day and for seven years straight, I won it. I'm undefeated. I really like to win. I love the fight.

When things get tough, keep getting yourself back up. Keep persevering."

Raducanu on her parents' approach

Raducanu's mother used to encourage the British tennis star to believe that everything was possible. On the other side, Raducanu's father had a completely different approach as he would sometimes tell his daughter that she wasn't capable of doing certain things.

"My mum was always telling me, 'You can do anything you set your mind to. My dad's method was very different, basically the opposite. He told me that I couldn't do this, that, and then I wanted to prove him wrong so badly. That's what made me so ambitious.

My mum was always backing me to prove him wrong. That's how I achieved good results." Meanwhile, Raducanu is set to play her first tournament since Wimbledon at next week's Citi Open in Washington. After a second round loss at Wimbledon, Raducanu is hoping to have a great North American hard court swing. Raducanu's summer on hard starts next week and many are curious to see how she does leading up to the US Open.