Emma Raducanu has revealed she deliberately kept Carlos Alcaraz waiting before agreeing to partner him for mixed doubles at this year's US Open. The British number one admitted she needed to maintain some mystery after the world number two approached her about teaming up.
"Gotta keep them on their toes!" she laughed, explaining her delayed response to his request. Alcaraz had previously disclosed that "she took a while" to answer his proposal.
Raducanu clarified that whilst she was keen to accept immediately, protocol required consulting her team first. "I mean, of course, I had to ask my team if they wanted me to play.
But for me, when he asked me, I was going to say yes, I just had to kind of go through the formality of asking my coach, so I didn't just make the decision."
Emma Raducanu held off on agreeing on her doubles partner
ReutersThe pair's connection stretches back to 2021, when both players experienced breakthrough moments at Wimbledon.
"I've known him for years and actually in Wimbledon 2021 it was like kind of the first time I started getting to know him, and I had a good run there and then also again in the US Open in 2021," Raducanu explained.
During that US Open campaign, Alcaraz's performances served as motivation for the eventual champion.
"And I remember he was always playing the day before me and I was playing like the second day of the round. And I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too."
She specifically recalled his third-round victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas as "his breakout kind of win on a big stage", noting how they stayed in contact throughout the tournament.
Despite Alcaraz's subsequent rise to multiple Grand Slam titles, Raducanu values their longstanding friendship.
"We have a good relationship still. He's obviously overtaken me a lot, but it's nice that we have that from a while ago," she said.
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Carlos Alcaraz will partner with Emma Raducanu for the US Open
PAThe 22-year-old emphasised the importance of connections formed before fame.
"I think for all of us, we really kind of value those connections that we had from when we were young because when you become a bit more known or a bit more successful, you just find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age because you're like, that's a real genuine connection."
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Raducanu identified similarities in their playing philosophies, noting both perform best when embracing creativity and positivity.
"We both play our best I think when we're in a good creative way, we're enjoying it. You see us smile on the court and have fun."
She praised Alcaraz's ability to produce extraordinary shots from difficult positions, attributing it to his curious mindset.
"It's like a coming from a place of curiosity. Like, what can I do with this? You know, like, can I turn this point around? It's amazing to have that on the men's side and take inspiration when I can."
Carlos Alcaraz recently won Queen's
PA
Raducanu spent Saturday at Queen's Club watching Alcaraz's semi-final victory, combining tennis with a social outing.
"I was having the day off on Saturday and I was with my friends and we were like, let's go to Queen's and watch the tennis and then we went out and to the River Cafe in the evening."
However, she doesn't expect the Spaniard to return the gesture at Eastbourne this week. "I doubt it. I doubt it," she laughed.
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