US Open champion Emma Raducanu has postponed her return to tournament tennis for at least a week.
Confirmation she has pulled out of the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic came after she announced she was “very excited” to become “House Ambassador” for Tiffany & Co.
Raducanu remains registered to compete at Indian Wells from October 6, but that gives her enough time to settle other corporate offers and potentially attend more red carpet events in London, such as the new James Bond premiere.
Having attended the Met Gala in New York last week, the in-demand teenager wore Tiffany diamonds at a London Fashion Week event on Monday night.
“Being able to wear these special jewellery pieces over the past few weeks has been an honour,” she wrote of her new deal with the jewellery brand. She also posted a video of her appearing in a promotional video for Vogue magazine. Branding experts say she will make £20million in endorsements in the next two years alone.
Raducanu had been due to fly out to Chicago by the end of the week for the Tennis Classic event, which begins on Monday and was set to be her first appearance since her flawless Flushing Meadows triumph over Leylah Fernandez. However, since her return home her team have continued to be inundated with invites and offers.
American teen Coco Gauff, last year’s Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and US Open semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka have also pulled out of next week’s competition. A total of 11 out of the world’s top 20 are still set to compete in Chicago, which has a winners’ prize money pot of around £400,000.
Indian Wells organisers have yet to declare whether the 18-year-old will be granted a main draw wildcard following her extraordinary Grand Slam tournament triumph. As it stands, she is registered for qualifying for the tournament, which takes place from October 6.
Raducanu said last Friday, the day after flying back home to her parents in Bromley, that “I just really need some time to rest and recover” after a “very demanding” seven weeks on the road.
However, she posted footage of herself on the treadmill in the gym on Sunday, and declared on Instagram: “Back with a sweat on.”
A source close to the Raducanu camp later told Telegraph Sport that she was now back in training ahead of her tournament return. She was believed to be back in practice on Monday.
The first playing event on home soil she is listed to play in is an ATP Champions Tour event, which is set to return to the Royal Albert Hall in November. There may also be opportunities to play in her father Ian’s native Romania.
Raducanu revealed on Friday how she spent her first night after returning from New York enjoying her mother Renee’s homemade cooking and re-watching her US Open final win.
“It’s still such a whirlwind of an experience – I’ve loved every moment of it,” she said. “But it’s something that is very difficult to fully comprehend.”
Raducanu has become one of the most in-demand stars in sport and has been tipped to earn tens of millions of pounds off the court. But she said tennis comes first, telling Sky News: “I won’t let any commitments get in the way of that, because it’s my top priority.”