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US Open winner Raducanu
Photo:
Paul Zimmer / imago images / Paul Zimmer
The story of Emma Raducanu, who made history by winning the US Open title, begins two months ago.
In her very first Grand Slam tournament, the 18-year-old Englishwoman made it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon in early July.
On the island, from the first victory on, an unprecedented wave of excitement poured out over the teenage girl.
A wave that finally almost crushed her.
Raducanu, who was only at Wimbledon thanks to a wildcard, had to give up in her four-round match against the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic when the score was 4: 6 and 0: 3.
In a statement on Instagram, she later wrote that she was dizzy and that she was short of breath.
The experience of her Wimbledon week caught up with her, she said.
And then there was a remarkable sentence: "Last night will help me learn what it takes to perform at the top."
A little more than eight weeks later, the young woman is in the largest tennis arena in the world, the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, after a safe 6: 4 and 6: 3 success over the 19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez , and raises the US Open trophy in the air.
Raducanu, who was born in Toronto and moved with her parents to Bromley in South London when she was two, has undergone a breathtaking development.
The last Grand Slam tournament of the year was only her fourth tournament at professional level.
Between February 2020 and June 2021, she completely refrained from playing tennis.
Graduating from school was a higher priority for her.
Then there was the corona pandemic, which made travel difficult for her.
Raducanu had never won a tournament on the tour before.
In the world rankings she was led at position 150 before the US Open.
The updated ranking will be published on Monday, in which the Englishwoman will appear in 23rd place.
There has never been such a quantum leap in women's tennis.
Raducanu almost gave up in qualifying
In New York at the US Open, Raducanu only had to survive a critical situation once in ten matches, including the three qualifying games. This is what her coach, Andrew Richardson, said in a media round before the final. In the second round of qualifying against Mariam Bolkwadze from Georgia, the teenager was 3: 5 behind after winning the first set. You waved it off and actually wanted to give up, said the Briton. In the end, Raducanu turned the sentence and won this match, which took place in front of a handful of spectators on one of the outside courts, 6: 3 and 7: 5. Incidentally, this second set was the tightest in all ten games that Raducanu played at the US Open.
Ten matches, ten wins, 20: 0 sets: These are crazy numbers for tennis that will forever be associated with the Englishwoman's title win at the US Open in 2021. Raducanu, the father is Romanian, her mother has Chinese roots, and has achieved history. Never before has a tennis professional, male or female, been able to win a Grand Slam tournament as a qualifier. Since 2004, Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon has not been a major winner younger than her.
Against Fernandez, who as an unsettled teenager had run an equally brilliant run in New York, Raducanu proved that she is already very far in her fascinating development process. Even further than Fernandez, who was only two weeks older. The 18-year-old almost always put pressure on herself and never waited for her opponent to make mistakes. Raducanu was the player who invested more to take the title in this final. Again and again she hit the balls in her so-called sweet spot, the cleanest meeting point. Cool and very clear, she finished her workload and demonstrated high-class and pure tennis without any tactical games or posturing. Significantly, Raducanu ended the match with an ace. This is exactly how champions play.
"I'm very proud that I didn't let anything get in my way for the entire duration of the tournament," said the winner of the US Open after winning the final. This learned ability to be completely with oneself and in the zone is perhaps her "greatest triumph". That helped her to win the title. And that was the big difference to Wimbledon, said Raducanu. "I just love my life now".
