Emma Raducanu interview: US Open final, parents and what she’ll spend £1.8m prize money on

Emma Raducanu revealed she spent her first night back in the UK watching a replay of her US Open final victory.

The 18-year-old arrived back at home in Bromley on Thursday, five days after her historic victory in New York.

In interviews with BBC Breakfast and Good Morning Britain, she says she is still letting it all sink in, and getting used to the fame and adulation that has come her way.

Raducanu on her parents and discipline

“My parents showed tough love and at the time I probably wasn’t as grateful as I am in hindsight.

“They just gave me a hug when I came back, nothing crazy, no big celebrations. My mum made some really good homemade dumplings! But there was nothing crazy or over the top.

“They’re just discreet; their reassurance and telling me they are proud of me is enough.

“I’m not the most organised, so I need to work on that, and I need to work on tidying up, unpacking, because I seem to live out the suitcase even three weeks after my trip.”

Raducanu on fame

Raducanu became an A list celebrity overnight, receiving a last-minute invitation to the glitzy Met Gala in New York.

She said: “I found out the night before and it was amazing. I was so grateful to get the opportunity to go. The performances were amazing. I managed to see Lewis Hamilton, which was really cool because I’m a huge motorsports fan.”

Raducanu on the £1.8million prize money

Raducanu has not yet treated herself to anything with the £1.8million prize money she won.

She said: “I will just leave that to my parents. They can take that for me. I haven’t gone shopping yet.

“I know that tennis is an extremely expensive sport so it will probably go towards that.”

Raducanu on the US Open Final

“I think it’s gradually sinking in a bit more. Last night I re-watched the final and tried to relive a couple of the moments and remember how it felt.

“But it’s still such a whirlwind of an experience. I’ve loved every moment of it. It is something that is still very difficult to fully comprehend.

“When I was watching it, it almost feels like that’s not me who’s playing. I knew exactly what was going to happen but still there’s some very tense moments and I was really proud of how I came through some moments. And the timeout at the end, I didn’t realise how stressful that was watching on TV.”

Raducanu on Boris Johnson

Along with a letter of congratulations from the Queen, Raducanu also spoke on the phone to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“It was really nice of him and he congratulated me, but we also spoke about how we both wanted to try to inspire more kids in grassroots tennis and get more young children involved, and hopefully my win can show you can live a normal life and achieve great things,” she said.