All About Tennis Star Emma Raducanu’s Parents, Ian Raducanu and Renee Zhai

Emma Raducanu has been a dedicated tennis player ever since her parents, dad Ian Raducanu and mom Renee Zhai, started bringing her along to their tennis lessons.

Both of her parents encouraged her to excel in tennis from a young age. Ian was raised in Romania, while Renee is from Shenyang, China. Emma was born in Toronto, Canada, in 2002, but the family moved to England when she was 2 years old.

Emma, who skyrocketed to tennis stardom when she won the 2021 U.S. Open at 18 years old, rarely shares social media posts with her mother or father. However, she has spoken about her tight-knit bond with both of them and their support for her tennis career.

“I always need to be learning, I can’t just sit. I need to do something useful. This constant desire for improvement from my parents is now my innate state,” she told The Times in May 2024.

So, who are Emma Raducanu’s parents? Here’s everything to know about the tennis star’s parents. Ian Raducanu and Renee Zhai.

Both Ian and Renee came from “academic families”

Ian, who hails from Romania, and Renee, who is from China, both prioritized academics while growing up.

“They both came from very academic families and in pretty tough countries growing up – my dad in Romania and mum in China – so they probably have a lot of that remaining,” Emma told The Telegraph in February 2020. “They were both communist countries so education was kind of their only option. They want me to have options, they think my education is very important for my future.”

Emma later explained that both of her parents encouraged her to study finance in addition to pursuing tennis as a child.

“My parents were academic and they always led me down the finance route,” she told The Times. “A hundred percent for me — life starts after tennis. I am actually looking forward to the next chapter, which is funny to say at this age, but there are so many things I want to do in this life and I just don’t have enough time.”

Emma said her parents have “high expectations” for her

Because of both Ian and Renee’s backgrounds, Emma has explained how they pushed her in both academics and extracurricular activities.

“My parents definitely have high expectations,” she told The Telegraph. “In anything, not even just tennis. I have to be the best, do the best I can. When I was younger it was to please them, but now I actually realise it’s great for me to do it on my own – that’s where I think I see the best results: when it’s me driving it.”

However, Emma also clarified that her parents were more involved when she was younger, and they’ve since let her take the reins with her career.

“They are so pushy. When I was younger more so. Now they are at a place where they tell me what they think is best, but they realise ultimately that the more they push the more I am going to resist,” she told the outlet. “So they know the smartest way is to not try to enforce their opinions but make me think it is my idea. We are three very stubborn characters in the house.”

Although her parents were “pushy” when she was younger, Emma emphasized that she has no regrets and is “very grateful” for the way she was raised.

“I am very grateful, and I don’t regret any of their methods,” she told The Times. “If I look at their backgrounds — I come from a diverse family, my mum is Chinese, my dad is Romanian, they both grew up in tough times and they feel you can’t afford to feel sorry for yourself, you need to be aspirational and get on with it. I inherited that.”

She added, “I’ve seen some great people who I was playing with in the juniors who had way more lenient parents, who were like, ‘It’s OK if you lost,’ and those players don’t play tennis anymore, so I don’t blame my parents for it. Even though, when I was younger, I was wishing I didn’t have the two-hour car journey after a tournament with all the yapping about everything I could have done better.”

They raised her in Canada and England and enrolled her in tennis at age 5

Emma is a dual British-Canadian citizen, as she was born in Toronto but moved to England when she was 2 years old. Three years later, she began playing tennis.

“I started playing when I was 5,” she said in a video with the LTA in September 2021. “My earliest memory was riding a bicycle around the park courts where my parents were taking lessons. My dad, he was involved in my tennis from a very young age. When I was younger, we would always compete against each other, and I’d always want to beat him and when that day finally came when I was older, it was great.”

Emma also recalled how it was her dad who encouraged her to play tennis, even though she didn’t start liking it until she was older.

“At the start my dad forced me into tennis,” she told The Times. “I didn’t like it, but then as I got older and tennis became more of a priority I was pushing myself. At school, meanwhile, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than an A.”

Her parents were “very much against” her having a boyfriend

When it comes to her personal life, Emma revealed that she had mixed feelings over her parents limiting both friendships and relationships.

“My parents were very much against that [boyfriends] as it interfered with training,” she told The Times. “When I was younger I wasn’t even allowed to hang out with my girlfriends. A lot of the time I was very resentful. But it made me very confident and comfortable in my own company, which is also a big strength.”

Emma’s love life became a topic of conversation in June 2025 when she cleared up speculation that she was dating fellow tennis star Carlos Alcaraz. While speaking to the BBC on June 23, she quipped that she was “glad the internet is having fun and we’re providing some entertainment for everyone.”

Tennis fans began discussing the romance rumors on social media after Alcaraz and Emma agreed to play together in the mixed doubles event in the 2025 U.S. Open.

“He asked me earlier on in the year. I was very surprised and honored and obviously very excited,” she recalled. “Of course I was going to say ‘yes.’ He’s done so well obviously and continued winning. It’s been amazing to see.”

Emma further clarified that they have been friends ever since the summer of 2021.

“We both started getting to know each other when I had that little run at Wimbledon and he had the five set [match] in the first round,” she shared. “Ever since we’ve stayed in touch.”

Emma’s role model is her mom

When asked who her “role model” is, Emma sweetly shared that it is her mom.

“It has to be my mum,” she told Tatler in January 2024. “Her work ethic is something that she’s instilled in me from a young age; I definitely got that from her. She’s very strong and she is great at reading people, which I’ve also picked from her.”

Emma also said that she got her life motto from her mom.

“Something my mum always told me: <一步一步走>, which means to go step by step,” she told the publication. “When tasks or things seem daunting at first or like a big mountain, if you go step by step and look at the first thing in front of you, then hopefully things, over time, they aren’t as scary and difficult.”

They support her at her tennis matches

Ian and Renee have attended several of their daughter’s matches. Per The Telegraph, Emma’s parents don’t sit in their daughter’s player box, because they are “extremely nervous” and prefer to “be out of the public eye.”

The two were photographed sitting in the stands at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships and the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. However, they were unable to see Emma take home the 2021 U.S. Open trophy because of issues with their visas, per The Telegraph. She returned to her home just a few days later and was photographed hugging Ian and celebrating her win.

Although her parents prefer to stay out of the spotlight, Emma shared that she loves when her parents get to watch her play.

“I like to keep them close,” she told The Times.