Emma Raducanu has announced her latest career move just days before Wimbledon commences, launching a vegan deodorant range in collaboration with the cosmetic company Wild. The 23-year-old, who is seeded No. 30 for the Grand Slam, revealed the 'The Garden of England' collection on Instagram on Tuesday, describing it as inspired by her upbringing in Kent.
Raducanu's New Business Venture
The range of personal hygiene products includes deodorant, antiperspirant, and body wash, available only in the UK. In her social media post, Raducanu said: "I’m so excited to share what I’ve been working on with the team at @wildrefill over the past year! Introducing my ‘The Garden of England’ collection. This is a scent range inspired by my upbringing in Kent and favourite memories of being outside. We used notes of fresh green leaves, rhubarb and rose petals. It really smells like summer and feels like home."
Wimbledon Preparations
With Wimbledon starting in five days, the 2021 US Open champion will hope to maintain her good form on grass. Raducanu reached the Queen's final last week but fell to Donna Vekic in straight sets. Re-appointing coach Andrew Richardson has so far resulted in an improvement in results.
Tim Henman's Reaction
Former world No. 4 Tim Henman expressed surprise at Raducanu's initial decision to part ways with Richardson after her US Open triumph. Speaking to The Guardian, Henman said: "I was surprised she chose not to work with him. She’s worked with a lot of coaches since then and now I really hope that her decision to get back with Andrew works for both their sakes. He’s one of my best friends and I’ve also been around Emma. So it would be good if results improve."
Raducanu's Grand Slam Progress
Raducanu has yet to reach beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam since winning the US Open. Henman commented on whether the historic victory hindered her development: "It was so unexpected because no one had ever qualified and made the final of a Slam, let alone qualified and won it. So she didn’t really have a foundation to build from. She’d just done her A-levels and played some grass-court tournaments and then her ranking went up to No. 20 in the world. All of a sudden she was playing top-level events and she wasn’t ready, physically and mentally. You can’t drop down to build match practice and resilience but would you rather it had not happened? Absolutely not. It’s one of the most incredible achievements in sport."
