Following her US Open victory, Emma Raducanu said she “can’t get a tennis court” because of the buzz surrounding the sport.
The 18-year-old tennis star celebrated her historic win in New York on Saturday on a party bus with her team singing along to songs such as Sweet Caroline and Mr Brightside.
She told BBC Breakfast: “It was pretty amazing, after the final it was a really nice moment, I just shared it with my close team back at the hotel.
“On the way to the hotel after winning and leaving the club there was a party bus going on with music, good tunes and we were all just singing along, and we had a really nice night just talking until early on in the morning, just reflecting on the whole experience and what an amazing time it’s been."
Raducanu also talked about mingling with celebrities but admitted she has not thought about her £1.8 million prize money.
“I managed to go to some really cool events and places, at the Met Gala I spoke to Lewis Hamilton, which was really cool being such a fan of loads of sports, it was really nice to see him and speak to him there," she said.
“The Met was such an artistic event with great performances and I was very honoured and grateful to have been able to go.”
However, Raducanu has not yet treated herself to anything with the £1.8 million prize money she won.
She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I know that tennis is an extremely expensive sport so it will probably go towards that.
“I don’t really think of the money side of it, I just love competing, I know there are lots of taxes and expenses.
“I haven’t logged onto my bank, I’ve just been at home or been in the moment.”
After hearing that tennis facilities around the country are busy following her success, Raducanu said: “Can I say, I can’t get a tennis court either, I still can’t get a court!”
Along with a letter of congratulations from the Queen, Raducanu also spoke on the phone to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
What a sensational match! Huge congratulations to @EmmaRaducanu 🇬🇧
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 11, 2021
You showed extraordinary skill, poise and guts and we are all hugely proud of you.#USOpen
She added: “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.”
On her arrival back at home in Bromley, south-east London, on Thursday, she went on to say: “They just gave me a hug when I came back, nothing crazy.
“My mum made some really good homemade dumplings. Just some reassurance in saying they’re proud of me.”
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