Red carpet galas, top-tier endorsement deals and hitting with British Royalty - the past three weeks have been a whirlwind for 18-year-old US Open champion Emma Raducanu. But now the British sensation says she is eager to get back to business.
"I'd say it has been a very cool three weeks," Raducanu told reporters in Indian Wells on Tuesday as she prepares for her first tournament since her historic triumph at Flushing Meadows.
"I got to experience some great things that I probably never would have been able to do before," said Raducanu, who recently attended star-studded events including the Met Gala in New York and the premier of the new James Bond film in London.
"But after that, I just went straight back to training and focusing on this competition and the upcoming ones I've got lined up."
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Raducanu last month became the first qualifier to win a major when she beat fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez of Canada at the tournament, where she never dropped a set.
She said that while she appreciates the support, she is determined to stay focused, opting mostly to stay home with her family since returning to England.
"I got some really cool invitations, and it felt nice to receive everyone's kind messages, but I didn't really get too caught up in it," she said.
"I just focused on my tennis and my training."
Fernandez eager to return to action after Sharapova pep talk
Fernandez, who lost in the US Open final, said on Tuesday she has since received advice from five-times Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and cannot wait to get back on court.
"She gave me some pretty good advice," Fernandez, 19, told reporters ahead of her return to competition this week at Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open. "I don't want to disclose any of it because it's very personal for me.
"She's an amazing person. She told me her own experience and the way that she was able to bounce back and she's just a great person, great inspiration to kind of look up to."
Fernandez won the Monterrey Open in March but upped her game considerably in New York where she beat defending champion Naomi Osaka, three-times Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber and world number two Aryna Sabalenka en route to the final.
Against Raducanu, Fernandez struggled with her serve during a straight sets loss but still showed enough to suggest she could be a lasting force.
Fernandez has since faced a surge in demand for her time since the U.S. Open but credits her team for allowing her to stay focused on tennis.
"I'm very lucky to have a great team around me to just let me focus on my craft, on my tennis, and not be overwhelmed with everything that's going right now," said Fernandez.
"Honestly I just can't wait to be back on the tennis court competing again."
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