Emma Raducanu has revealed her bemusement at scrutiny into her dating life, following speculation linking her to Carlos Alcaraz and a bizarre question at Wimbledon.
Rumours of a potential romance with Alcaraz were sparked earlier this summer when the pair had been confirmed as mixed doubles partners in a revamped competition at the US Open, which will begin next week.
The British star had then been spotted watching Alcaraz at Queen’s in June, with the grass-court tournament building up towards Wimbledon.
Alcaraz’s confirmation as an ambassador of Evian, who a long-term partner of Raducanu, led to the British No 1 being asked about the rumours ahead of Wimbledon.
Raducanu had attempted to end the speculation by insisting that they were just ‘good friends’.
Speaking ahead of the US Open, where Raducanu shot to fame by winning the 2021 event as a qualifier, she expressed her surprise at the desire to find out about her dating life.
Emma Raducanu has expressed bemusement about the interest in her personal life
The British star has been the subject of romance rumours with Carlos Alcaraz over the summer
Rumours had intensified after Raducanu watched Alcaraz at Queen’s after their mixed doubles pairing at the US Open had been announced
‘I guess I’m like, it comes with the territory, people being so curious,’ Raducanu told the Guardian.
‘I think they’re more curious about this news than any tennis results and tennis news.
‘But I just keep myself to myself, my private life to one side.
‘It’s always funny when people try to find something out, but I try not to read into it so much.’
The scrutiny on Raducanu’s dating life had reached a bizarre level when fellow British star Cameron Norrie had been asked about a possible romance between the pair during Wimbledon.
A journalist had asked Norrie: ‘Aside from the fact that everyone here loves tennis, there are some rumors circulating about Emma Raducanu’s relationship. May I ask if you’re with her? Can we clear this up, please?’
The bemused star, who has a long-term partner, appeared shocked and replied: ‘Sorry?’
The journalist then said: ‘I’m trying to find out who Emma Raducanu is dating. It seems to be a topic among the men’s draw. I was wondering if you’re dating her?’
Fellow British star Cameron Norrie was shocked at Wimbledon when asked if he was dating Raducanu
Raducanu laughed when the question to Norrie was raised before labelling it ‘terrible, terrible’
Norrie responded ‘No, I’m not dating her. You can ask her’, with the visibly frustrated star seen shaking his head following the question.
When broached about the question for the first time, Raducanu reportedly laughed before stating: ‘That was terrible, terrible’.
On the court, Raducanu has shown impressive form in the build-up to the US Open later this month.
She reached the semi-finals of the Canadian Open and this week suffered an agonising three set defeat to current women’s world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open.
Her recent climb to 33rd in the world rankings could be enough to see Raducanu earn a seeding for the US Open women’s singles event.
Raducanu, however, is currently due to first feature in the $1million mixed doubles competition alongside Alcaraz.
The 22-year-old had previously explained to Daily Mail Sport that her friendship with Alcaraz, a five-time Grand Slam champion, had stemmed from the pair growing up on tour together.
‘He’s so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around,’ said Raducanu.
Raducanu and Alcaraz are due to team up in the mixed doubles event at the US Open next week
The British No 1 has shown impressive signs ahead of the US Open, where she triumphed in 2021
‘I’ve known him for years. Wimbledon 2021 was the first time I started getting to know him. He was always playing the day before me, I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too.
‘It was really cool to go through that tournament together and then I kept going through the US Open, we were staying in touch for the whole time and, yeah, it’s nice.
‘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.
‘I think, for all of us, we really value those connections we had from when we were young.
‘When you become a bit more known or more successful, you find yourself reverting back people you knew from a young age because you’re like, that’s a real genuine connection.
‘It becomes very busy and you have a lot more friends but the ones you’ve known for a long time mean a lot more to you.’