Emma Raducanu said she used to cry on the court as a youngster because she didn't like playing tennis

• Emma Raducanu didn't always love tennis.

• As a child, she says she used to cry when she played.

• "I didn't want anything to do with it because I was shy," she told the Evening Standard.

US Open champion Emma Raducanu has revealed she used to dislike playing tennis so much when she was younger she would cry on the court.

"When I was five or six, I was pretty much the only girl in most of the classes," the 19-year-old told the Evening Standard.

"I remember clinging on to the fence, hiding behind my mum's skirt. I didn't want anything to do with it because I was shy.

"I'd literally cry on the court during a match."

Raducanu, of course, has since enjoyed a fruitful career as a professional tennis player.

After reaching the fourth round of last year's Wimbledon, which was her Grand Slam main-draw debut, she went on to shock the world by winning the US Open in September.

Though she has since struggled with form and injury, the British teenager remains optimistic that she can rediscover her winning ways.

"I really like to win," she said. "I love the fight. When things get tough, keep getting yourself back up. Keep persevering."

She added: "Each time you do, it teaches you a lesson and you accumulate experience. Then you can grow a big bank of knowledge that you can tap into."

Raducanu will next compete in the Citi Open in Washington, DC next week, where she will be joined by her new Russian coach, Dmitry Tursunov.

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