Daughter to a Chinese mother, Emma Raducanu explains what the major difference between parenting styles in USA & China is

Emma Raducanu recently spoke to the media ahead of her Ningbo Open debut later this week. The Brit took on the much-talked-about topic of the distinct parenting styles between the USA and China - two countries that have a huge contrast in terms of their respective moral philosophies.

Following a few years of turbulence, Raducanu made her top 30 WTA rankings return last week on the back of a consistent 2025 season. The former World No. 10 will face China's Zhu Lin in the first round of the Ningbo Open on Tuesday (October 14). Ahead of her opener at the 500-level event, she held a rather interesting pre-tournament press conference.

Considering how her Chinese-origin mother, Zhai Renee, traveled with her to Ningbo this week, a journalist saw fit to ask Emma Raducanu whether tennis players from the Western hemisphere have more confidence than Chinese pros. The 22-year-old didn't exactly disagree with the notion while pointing out the key differences between the youth's upbringing in the USA and China.

"I think it has to do with culture. In China, parents often tell their children from a young age what they can do better and what they don't, because humility is a virtue. In the United States or elsewhere, parents might tell their children, 'You can do anything,'" Emma Raducanu noted (via Weibo). "I think that's the difference; children there might have different imaginations because they're encouraged to be capable. The parenting style here might be more grounded, but this also limits individuality to some extent."

For those unaware, the 2021 US Open champion has quite the diverse background. While her mother is from Shenyang, China, her father Ion Raducanu is from Bucharest, Romania. During the first two years of her life, the Raducanu family moved from Toronto to London, where they eventually settled.

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Emma Raducanu on mother Zhai Renee's presence at Ningbo Open: "Great to have family around during such a long year-end journey"

Emma Raducanu's mother Renee watches her daughter in action | Image Source: Getty

During the interaction with Chinese media, Emma Raducanu also expressed delight at her mother accompanying her in Ningbo. Although Zhai Renee's appearances in the Brit's players' box is rather rare, she was present during the latter's third-round campaign at the China Open two weeks ago.

"Yes, it was great to have her by my side. I really enjoyed traveling around Asia with her. We both felt very comfortable and at ease," Raducanu said. "She was able to organize everything so well and solve many small problems. It was great to have family around during such a long year-end journey."

The World No. 30 will be eager to close her year on a good note after suffering from the hot and humid weather during her Wuhan Open first-round match, which she retired from while trailing USA's Ann Li 1-6, 1-4.