A story about two kids, a dream that started more than ten years ago, and a journey that is still being written. ❤️🎾
This isn’t a blog, it’s a true story. It’s a story about two kids.
Maybe you’ve seen… no, actually, you’ve definitely seen that I keep posting a certain boy on my stories and, naturally, people wonder who he is. Because I keep getting the classic question: “Are you his girlfriend?”
No. =))
He is Radu Țurcanu, my brother. Not by blood, but by choice. A choice I made when I was nine, when, after finding out about his life story and situation, I came home and said:
“Mum, Dad, from today Radu is my brother and I promise I’ll take care of him so nothing happens to him and, when I become a singer and have money, will you help me, Dad, start a business so I can give him the money and support him until he wins a Grand Slam?”
Yes… yes, that’s what a nine-year-old said… after seeing him at the first match I ever attended, where he was playing U10 and, if I remember correctly, was ranked No. 1 or 2 in the country.
That’s where and when this passion of mine began. First for his journey and, secondly, for sport, especially tennis.
Even though life clearly took us down different paths, I’m definitely not a singer, I definitely don’t have money =)), my support for him has stayed the same. He is still my brother, and I’m still very protective of him. And I’ve held on to that same dream, one we now share: for him to go as far as possible.
A dream that, I can say, kept me going when my mind went to a negative place. The thought that I had to be there to see him succeed was stronger than the thoughts that made life seem not quite so beautiful anymore.
Slowly, I learnt that this support and the “business” I used to talk about actually had a name: sports management. That’s the direction I started moving towards in high school, as someone who was already very passionate about sport. But he remained part of those thoughts the entire time. In fact, that was even what my university admission essay was about.
Well, I didn’t get into Sports Management =)), but I’m still trying to do my job as a manager, although obviously, it’s teamwork.
It’s a difficult and competitive world. Finding support and funding isn’t easy, but we keep looking. As I like to say, “it takes a village.” Especially in a world as lonely as tennis can be.
As for him… let’s start from the beginning.
From becoming national U10 vice-champion came national junior titles, including in singles and doubles, followed by international results. In 2020, he became European U14 vice-champion with the Romanian team, followed by Tennis Europe singles and doubles titles, No. 1 in the Race to Monte Carlo, and later ITF Junior titles. In 2024, he also made it to the Australian Open Junior.
And after all of that… you almost start again from zero.
Because the transition from juniors to the professional tour is a little like everything you’ve done up until that point gets wiped clean. The titles and results remain part of your story, of course, but the moment you enter the professional circuit, a completely different journey begins. Different rankings, different points, another level and an enormous amount of competition. You have to start climbing again, point by point, tournament by tournament.
And it’s a difficult journey. There are so many players fighting for the same points, the same places in draws and the chance to move up the rankings. There are also many Romanian players in the same fight as Radu, each trying to build their own path towards the next level.
For Radu, that transition meant earning his first ATP points in 2024, followed in 2025 by his first ITF Men’s finals, his first M15 title in Curtea de Argeș and his debut for Romania’s Davis Cup team.
Then, in 2026, more and more results started coming: the singles title in Slobozia, four doubles titles and his ATP 250 Țiriac Open main-draw debut, where he played Alexander Shevchenko. For his first match at that level, even though the result didn’t go his way, we are incredibly proud of him and of the step he took.
And just a few days ago came his second singles title of the year, at the M15 in Bucharest. Last year, he had been a finalist at the same tournament, and this year he came back and reached the final again. This time, against Gabriel Ghețu, and he left with the trophy.
I told him this too, but I’ll tell you as well: I’m incredibly proud of him for that final and for the entire week. It reminded me, again, why and where all of this started.
I was there for every match and went through every possible and impossible emotion. =)) It’s hard. I mean, if you haven’t figured it out already, I’m a very emotional person and I do try to hide it, but I get unbelievably nervous before every one of his matches. Whether I’m there or not.
I’ve told you enough about Radu the athlete, but I think that if I’m going to invite you to support him alongside me, I should introduce you to Radu the person too. =))
And I think, for that, we need to go back to childhood again. He was faced with a choice and, unfortunately, this is more or less how our education system and society are structured: “Do you want tennis or do you want school?” And he was one of the kids who chose “tennis”.
Even back in school, I remember barely ever seeing him… and at some point, I think waiting to see when he would walk through the door became a thing in itself. =))
He was such a well-mannered kid, and I still remember this… he would come back from tournaments, having won them, and he would be embarrassed to say that he’d won. He would hide his trophies under his jacket, just in case anyone saw them…
School wasn’t his strong point, but that was also because of the way our system worked and teachers who had absolutely no sympathy or desire to help in any way. They only seemed to know how to bully children who weren’t made to be straight-A students… But I’m not getting into that subject because that’s at least two blogs on its own. =))
He was a child who sacrificed a lot for tennis and who didn’t always have the same experiences most of us have growing up. While other children went to school every day, spent time with their classmates and had all the usual teenage experiences, for him it was training, tournaments, travelling and then more training.
And tennis, as I’ve said before, is a very lonely sport. At the end of the day, when you step onto the court, it’s you and yourself, and that’s it. Behind a match that we watch for an hour or two are years of work, sacrifices and so many things a player ends up giving up for the chance to follow their dream.
Today, by his side are Mihaela and Manuela, both mothers to him in every sense of the word and both deeply involved in his journey. I’m also very close to them, and they both mean a lot to me.
Radu isn’t an only child. He has an older brother who is passionate about aviation and a younger sister who loves horse riding. So yes… apparently, a passion for sport runs in the family. =))
The “mums”, as I call them, support him as much as they can on this journey because, realistically, professional tennis is also a very expensive sport. Travel, tournaments, coaches, training, recovery, it all adds up, and financially, things haven’t always been easy.
Over the years, there have also been some serious health problems, as well as injuries that have made his journey even more difficult. But despite all of that, he has continued to play, to work and, most importantly, to show that he has the potential to keep going further.
I’m not telling you any of this because I want you to feel sorry for him. Quite the opposite. I’m telling you because these things are part of his journey, and because his results have come despite these obstacles, not in their absence.
And maybe, after reading all of this, you’ll understand a little better why I became so attached to his journey when we were kids. Beyond the tennis and the results, I saw a child who kept fighting for what he wanted, no matter how many things stood in his way. I’ve looked up to him many times over the years, and now I’m inviting you to support him alongside me.
That’s the short version… because the story is a long one, and I really do love talking about him when we meet. =)) But in the meantime, you can become part of the story that is still waiting to be written. ❤️
And if some of you don’t just want to follow the story, but want to become part of it, to join the village… you know where to find me. =))
antoniabranciogoff@gmail.com
