Tennis phenom Emma Raducanu stormed onto the scene in 2021 with a Cinderella run to the US Open title — and secured several major endorsements that might just make her a billionaire one day.
Teenage tennis star Emma Raducanu has had a year. The young British WTA singles player finished the 2020 season ranked No. 343 in the world and vaulted into the top 20 with yet another dominant season.
Naturally, her improbable success in some of the year’s biggest tournaments at such a young age made her one of the most popular names in the sport. As the wins came, so did the fans, and Raducanu continued to earn money and sponsorships.
With that, the announcement that she’d be joining the British Airways team as a global ambassador on Tuesday came as no surprise. Here’s a look at just how much Raducanu’s profile has grown, and who’s already invested in the 19-year-old.
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The Raducanu Brand
Age: 19
Nationality: British
Height: 5-foot-9
Career prize money: $2.97 million
Estimated net worth: $5 million
Key endorsements: British Airways, Dior, Evian, Nike, Porsche, Tiffany & Co., Vodafone, Wilson
Twitter followers: 634.2K
Instagram followers: 2.3 million
Raducanu was first a Nike athlete with a Wilson racquet before quickly rising to fame. Once she won the US Open, a lot changed; not only did she earn $2.5 million for the win and enough ranking points to vault into the top 25, but she caught the eye of several big-time brands across multiple industries far beyond sports apparel.
Following the win in Flushing, the teenager announced partnerships with Dior, Tiffany & Co., Evian, British Airways, and Vodafone, as Mark Borkowski, a prominent British PR agent, called Raducanu a “billion-dollar girl.” This is quite likely just the beginning of her off-court earning potential.
Career Accomplishments
Professional singles record: 78-29
World Ranking: 13
Career-high ranking: 12
Grand Slams: US Open (champion, 2021), Wimbledon (Round of 16, 2021)
Notable WTA Results: 2021 Chicago Women’s Open finalist
ITF Titles: Pune 2019, Antalya 2018, Tiberas 2018
Additional honors: 2021 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, 2021 WTA Newcomer of the Year
Raducanu rose to prominence in 2021 after success on the ITF Tour — where lower-ranked players can climb the ladder — at the ages of 17 and 18. After taking home three titles in two years and dominating at some exhibition tournaments during a COVID-shortened 2020 season, Raducanu arrived at Wimbledon in 2021.
The youngster had failed to even win a qualifying match at Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019, but was added to the 2021 draw as a wildcard. The then-No. 333 player in the world made the most of the opportunity, taking out former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova and top-40 player Sorana Cirstea on the way to a Round of 16 appearance in her home country.
Due to her success there, she was able to earn another wildcard to the Chicago Women’s Open, where she marched to the final. From there, she entered qualifying for the US Open, and the rest is history.
Literally. Raducanu qualified for the year’s final Grand Slam with three easy wins and became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era. She enters the 2022 season in the top 20 and won’t need to rely on wildcards or qualifying wins to gain entry to the year’s top tournaments.
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