It has taken several tennis matches for Emma Raducanu to transform herself from completely unknown to a global superstar. This was just Raducanu’s second grand slam(大满贯) appearance and no woman in the Open era had ever won in so few attempts. At 18, she is the youngest grand slam champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004.
“A star is born,” tennis legend Martina Navratilova said. “Emma Raducanu makes history and she is just getting started.”
The Queen led the congratulations to Emma Raducanu after the 18-year-old got the US Open title with a stunning victory in New York. “I send my congratulations to you on your success,” the Queen said. “It is a remarkable achievement at such a young age, and is testament (见证) to your hard work and dedication. I have no doubt your outstanding performance, and that of your opponent Leylah Fernandez, will inspire the next generation of tennis players.”
Hours after Raducanu had won the championship, she found time to send a message to her fans in China in fluent Mandarin. “Hi, everyone,” she said in the video posting. “I want to say thank you to you guys and I hope you could enjoy my tennis. I’m thrilled to win. Love you all.” Raducanu’s mother Renee- full name Dong Meizhai-grew up in Shenyang, a city in north-east China. Overnight, the number of Raducanu’s followers on Instagram more than doubled to 1.3 million.
Raducanu was born in Canada before moving to the UK at the age of two. Her father lan, who works in finance, is Romanian but had moved to Toronto where he met Renee. Raducanu is an only child, educated at Newstead Wood School, a grammar school in nearby Orpington, where former pupils include the world champion sprinter Dina Asher-Smith. The school has “churned out a lot of good athletes”, said Raducanu on Sunday, praising the institution for giving her the “flexibility” to study and play tennis.
But it is hard to look beyond Raducanu’s parents for the inspiration and drive that has launched her into the sporting career. She has repeatedly attributed her tenacity to her mother.
【小题1】Why did Emma Raducanu become a superstar overnight?| A．Because she broke the world record for tennis matches. |
| B．Because she put the video posting of her winning the game on the Internet. |
| C．Because she got her second grand slam appearance just in a few attempts. |
| D．Because she beat the tennis legend Martina Navratilova. |
| A．cultivated | B．stirred | C．eliminated | D．found |
| A．Raducanu is the youngest grand slam champion in the world. |
| B．Raducanu’s parents are Romanians. |
| C．Newstead Wood School offered students many courses on arts. |
| D．Raducanu’s parents both have great influences on her achievements. |
| A．diligence | B．dedication | C．determination | D．humour |
