Emma Raducanu says ‘it’s great to be home’ as she jets back to London

mma Raducanu returned home to London on Thursday and was reunited with her family after her historic US Open victory.

Britain’s new tennis superstar is believed to have flown first class on a British Airways flight from JFK airport to Heathrow overnight before being given a police escort to her home in Bromley.

Neither the 18-year-old’s father Ian or her mother Renee were able to travel to New York to watch their daughter’s heroics on Saturday because of Covid travel restrictions.

But they were reunited on Thursday morning, with the teenager saying: “It’s a great feeling to be back home. I’ve been away for seven weeks so it’s nice to be back.”

Standing outside her home with her father, she added: “It’s nice to see them [her parents] again. I haven’t thought about what’s next. I’m just enjoying it and relaxing and recovering.”

When asked where the US Open trophy was, she revealed: “It’s getting shipped.”

She became the first British woman to win a major title for 44 years and is also the first qualifier in history to lift a grand slam.

Asked whether she was planning to have a party to celebrate, she added: “Not sure. Haven’t even thought about it.”

Earlier Raducanu launched a Weibo account before posting a video in fluent Mandarin and promising to come to the country next year.

The tennis star has set up an account on the Chinese social media site – addressing fans in a 30-second video that, within hours, been watched almost a million times.

“It’s a pity that I can’t go to China this year but will go and play next year,” she said.

Raducanu’s mother is from Shenyang, Liaoning Province, with some fans remarking the teen spoke with a slight northeastern accent.

The teen made annual trips to Shenyang before the pandemic and, according to The Times, would regularly train at the city’s table tennis club whilst she was there.