Britain's number one tennis player has voiced her exasperation at the media's fixation on her romantic life rather than her sporting accomplishments.
Emma Raducanu finds herself repeatedly fielding questions about alleged romantic connections with Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, with whom she'll compete in the upcoming US Open mixed doubles event.
The 22-year-old expressed bewilderment at the public's priorities during a Guardian interview.
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Emma Raducanu will team up with Carlos Alcaraz at US Open
| PA"I think they're more curious about this news than any tennis results and tennis news," she stated.
The persistent rumours intensified after she attended one of Alcaraz's Queen's Club matches this summer, with unfounded reports even suggesting a hotel meeting between the pair.
During Wimbledon, the speculation reached uncomfortable heights when a foreign journalist bizarrely questioned British player Cam Norrie about whether he was romantically involved with Raducanu.
The reporter pressed: "I am trying to find out who is dating Emma Raducanu. It seems to be a question circulating among all the men's singles... I was wondering if you're dating her, please?"
Norrie, who maintains a long-term relationship with Louise Jacobi, appeared visibly bewildered by the inquiry. "I'm not, no. You can ask her. I don't know," he responded awkwardly.
Reflecting on the incident, Raducanu laughed before describing it as "terrible, terrible."
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The British tennis star maintains a firm stance on keeping her personal affairs private.
"I just keep myself to myself, my private life to one side," Raducanu explained, adding that she finds it "amusing when people try to dig something up" but chooses not to focus on such matters.
She has consistently maintained that her relationship with the two-time Wimbledon champion remains platonic.
Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu will play together in the mixed doubles of the US Open | GETTYThe pair have known each other since Wimbledon 2021, when they progressed through the tournament simultaneously, staying in contact throughout her subsequent US Open victory.
"He's so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around," Raducanu said of Alcaraz, emphasising they maintain "a good relationship" as friends.
Raducanu has secured a significant coaching appointment with Francis Roig, who spent 17 years working alongside Rafael Nadal.
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Emma Raducanu put in a strong showing during her defeat to world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka earlier this week
| REUTERSThis marks her latest coaching arrangement ahead of the US Open, where she'll participate in the mixed doubles championship alongside Alcaraz on 19-20 August, competing for $1 million in prize money.
The British player defended her coaching history, which includes at least eight names professionally.
"People love to say I've had so many different coaches but if I went into the details of a lot of them, people would not be saying the same thing," she told The Guardian, explaining that several arrangements were merely trials rather than permanent appointments.