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Emma Raducanu said she is ‘extremely grateful’ to have received an MBE after it was presented to her by the King on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old athlete beamed as she posed for pictures after accepting the honour, awarded for services to tennis, at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire after her US Open victory in 2021 at the age of just 18.
The victory over Canadian – and fellow teenager – Leylah Fernandez saw her make history as the first British woman to win a grand slam title since Virginia Wade’s Wimbledon victory in 1977.
Honoured: Emma Raducanu said she is ‘extremely grateful’ for her MBE after it was presented to her by the King at a special ceremony on Tuesday
In a statement after the ceremony, she said: ‘It’s been great to receive my honour today from his Majesty the King – I feel extremely grateful.’
The Dior ambassador looked radiant for the ceremony in a £5,800 elegant midi dress crafted from black silk lace with short sleeves.
She wore shoes and a boater cap from the fashion house, with her total ensemble costing £10,000.
Yet despite making history with her US Open win, and pocketing a whopping $21million in the year since, Emma recently revealed that she didn’t find the achievement ‘a big deal’.
Speaking to Grazia magazine, she confessed: ‘It wasn’t a big deal for my family – it was just like a normal Friday or Saturday night.’
Congratulations: The 20-year-old athlete beamed as she posed for pictures after accepting the honour, awarded for services to tennis, at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle
She continued: ‘I’ve never gone out. I’ve never done any normal teenage things. Between training and the travel it takes some getting used to, but I like to be on my own and it’s always about the bigger picture.’
Emma added that she found Andy Murray, 35, ‘good to talk to’ about any issues and concerns she has due to him having a similar background.
Having struggled with the pressure of the ‘individual’ sport she has found solace in speaking to Andy, who like herself found international fame as a teenager when he won the Junior US Open in 2004 and turned professional at age 17.
Striking: The Dior ambassador looked radiant for the ceremony in a £5,800 elegant midi dress crafted from black silk lace with short sleeves that she paired with a boater cap
Since her US Open triumph, Emma has had British Airways, Dior, Evian, HSBC, Porsche, Tiffany and Vodafone joining Nike in her endorsements.
While she has struggled to live up to the high standard of her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, her off-court endeavors alone have raked in a massive $18million for the youngster.
Her agent, Max Eisenbud, claimed earlier this year that Raducanu had passed up on ‘millions’ in sponsorship deals – due to being limited to 18 commercial days per year.
Victory: Emma’s US Open victory over Canadian Leylah Fernandez saw her make history as the first British woman to win a grand slam title since Virginia Wade’s Wimbledon victory in 1977
Meanwhile, Labour MP Dame Nia Griffith, who collected her honour at the same investiture ceremony, said of the tennis star: ‘I think it is fantastic seeing a young person [achieve] the success that she had and I think obviously now she faces that incredibly challenging situation of coping with that success and coping also with disappointment.
‘And I certainly think it is wonderful to see young people being praised and being rewarded and let’s make sure we give every young person the opportunities so that they can develop their talents to the full.’
Also on Tuesday Sir Isaac Julien, the Turner prize-nominated artist and filmmaker, was set to collect a knighthood for services to diversity and inclusion in art.
Former footballer Gary Bennett, patron of the Show Racism the Red Card group, was among the other MBE recipients and former Test cricketer Hugh Morris. The batsman was awarded an MBE for services to cricket and charity.
Peas in a pod: Emma has revealed that she’s found Andy Murray ‘good to talk to’ about any issues and concerns she has due to him having a similar background (pictured in 2021)
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