Emma’s Raducanu’s crew: meet her ace inner circle

EMMA RADUCANU’S parents might not have made it to America to watch her US Open victory, but Britain’s new golden girl certainly wasn’t short on supporters to celebrate with. Several of her closest inner circle travelled to the Big Apple to watch her play and one of her oldest friends was there to accompany her afterwards on her big tour of Manhattan. So who are the key members of the teenager’s inner circle? Meet Team Raducanu.

The childhood BFF Benjamin Heynold

You’ll have seen the photos by now: a beaming Raducanu posing under a billboard in New York with a handbag on one arm and a mystery male pal on the other. That friend has since been revealed as Benjamin Heynold, 19, an ex-tennis protégé now studying in New York. Raducanu has known him since they were six — according to reports, the strapping former player has been her “rock” since they were children, inset top. The billboard picture was posted by Heynold on his private Instagram account. Raducanu didn’t post that image on her own grid but Heynold has made several appearances there over the years.

The ‘gentle giant’ coach Andrew Richardson

All eyes were on Raducanu’s box in New York when she lept off-court to give them a hug. Front and centre (and towering above the others at 6ft 7in tall) was her coach Andrew Richardson, a softly-spoken former Davis Cup player affectionately described as a “gentle giant”. Now 47, the ex-pro once reached the third round of Wimbledon and formed a long-standing friendship with former British number one Tim Henman. He first started coaching Raducanu when she was 11. They went their separate ways but reunited recently, as it was believed Richardson would help make the teen feel at ease during her first long stint away from home in the US.

The wonder physio Will Herbert

Petrol-head Raducanu likes to call Will Herbert her “mechanic”: the physio and strength and conditioning coach was cheering her on from the box during the final. The Loughborough graduate played tennis as a junior and works as a physio with stars including world number four Alexander Zverev. Associates describe Herbert, 43, as “funny and good to be around” and a photo of him and Raducanu giggling as he presses his elbow into her hip has been liked more

than 79,000 times.

The secret mentor

Tim Henman We all saw the looks they exchanged during the final. It’s no coincidence: according to reports, Tim Henman, 47, wasn’t just Raducanu’s biggest fan in New York but also a secret mentor. Henman, inset, has called the teenager “outstanding” and almost lost his voice from cheering her on in the final. Raducanu has called him an inspiration.

The super-agents Chris Helliar and Max Eisenbud

Chris Helliar is a former ATP pro who retired from tennis in 2015 and later moved into marketing, becoming a talent agent at entertainment giant IMG in April. As well as representing superstars including Naomi Osaka ad Serena Williams, he and fellow agent Max Eisenbud are responsible for sharing Raducanu’s agency duties. Eisenbud, vice-president of tennis at IMG, knows a thing or two about building young players’ brands. He helped another teenage sensation, Maria Sharapova, make £234 million in partnerships over her career.