The echoes of Emma Raducanu's fantastic triumph at the US Open still resonate strongly around the world, dedicated to the deed of this British woman who won the US Open at the age of 18, in an adolescent final with another outstanding player of 19 just turned 19, the Canadian Leylah Fernández.
Among other astonishing circumstances surrounding Raducanu's victory is the fact that this is her first WTA title, directly at a Grand Slam., something that was always rare until four years ago the tyranny of Serena Williams came to an end in Australia. The American left the circuit after winning her 23rd major to be a mother, and the absence of his dominance was taken advantage of by new tennis players such as Ostapenko, who debuted his record at Roland Garros 2017, and Swiatek, who also won his first trophy in Paris last year.
Raducanu became the first tennis player, male or female, to win a Slam title since the previous one. She did it without losing a set in ten games, like Serena in 2014. All from a very low ranking, 150. Today she will be 23rd, 127 places higher. And it is only his second major, having reached the eighth at Wimbledon.
“I think the future of women's tennis is very great. Any player can win a tournament. Hopefully in this next generation we can follow in the footsteps of great legends, like Billie Jean King, who is here (and handed him the cup), and other British icons like Virginia (Wade, the last winner of her nationality at the US Open in 1968) and Tim (Henman) ”, said Raducanu before them at the trophy ceremony, with a fluency and eloquence that denotes the exquisite education he receives at Newstead Wood Selective School, near his hometown of Bromley, southeast London. There he studied mathematics and economics. His Romanian origins from his father and Chinese from his mother also provide him with cultural richness. Her grandmother lives in Bucharest and she loves the food there.
What he will have to digest now is the worldwide fame gained by his title in New York. On Saturday he increased his number of followers on Instagram by 275,000, to one million. “My father told me that I was even better than he thought. I don't have pressure, I don't even know what I'm going to do tomorrow, ”Emma confessed at a press conference.
Real message
His feat was experienced especially in Great Britain, where, among many other congratulatory messages, he received one from Queen Elizabeth, who also recognized the achievements of her rival, a subject of the Commonwealth, of which the 96-year-old monarch is head. “It is a remarkable achievement at such a young age and a testament to their hard work and dedication. I have no doubt that his outstanding performance and that of his opponent, Leylah Fernández, will inspire the next generation of tennis players. ” Andy Murray already has a successor and women's tennis, a new queen.