As has become the norm with England’s soccer team every other summer, it doesn’t take much to send the British nation into a sporting frenzy and now Emma Raducanu is inspiring the belief that next weekend’s final at Wimbledon will see a first homegrown champion crowned in the women’s event for the first time since 1977.
Raducanu has only won three of the seven matches she needs to claim sporting immortality on home soil, but that is not stopping newspapers and websites publishing lists of who she needs to beat to reach the final, with traditionally more neutral BBC getting in on the hype game as they suggest the player currently ranked at No.135 in the world is destined for glory.
Raducanu is the red-hot favourite to secure a quarter-final place by beating qualifier Lulu Sun in her next match on Sunday and while reality may well bite for her at some point over the next few days, it will now be impossible to stop the hype exploding around this 21-year-old who famously won the US Open after becoming the first player to come through qualifying to win a Grand Slam three years ago.
Since that ‘Fairytale of New York’, Raducanu has become a commodity sponsors and tennis fans are drawn to.
Why women’s tennis needs Emma Raducanu
This athlete drives attention to women’s tennis in remarkable fashion, with her appeal to an audience outside of the sport fuelled by her vast social media following and a joyous ability to inspire youngsters to pick up a racket and play.
There is some jealousy towards her from higher ranked players who question why she has sponsorship deals reported to be worth £10million, even though she has enjoyed moderate success on a tennis court since that US Open miracle.
Yet statistics confirm that Raducanu is an inspirational figure to tens of thousands of young girls, who were enchanted by her win in New York three years ago and took up tennis for the first time as they looked to follow in her footsteps.
Being the star caught in the eye of this storm was not easy for Raducanu, with the huge sponsorship deals she signed after the US Open win piling the pressure on a young girl who admits her ‘life changed overnight’.
She openly admits her love for tennis waned as she was expected to live up to the ridiculously high bar she set for herself, with injuries rocking her career to a point that many concluded she may never get back to the top.
Well, the first week at Wimbledon has banished that notion, with her thumping 6-2 6-3 win against No.9 seed Maria Sakkari on Friday a reminder of the sumptuous talent this engaging player can bring to a tennis court.
She should be better equipped to deal with the euphoria coming her way in the second wave of ‘Emma Mania’ and after attending her press conference following the win against Sakkari, Raducanu appears to be enjoying her return to the spotlight rather than running away from the unwanted attention it brings.
“I think today was really up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court,” she said after recording what was only her second win against a player ranked in the top ten of the WTA rankings.
“I was just telling myself how many times in your life do you get the opportunity to play in front of a full Centre Court so I’m really grateful for the support.
“Saying present in the moment is what got me this far. I’m not going to start changing anything.
“I was able to turn some scorelines in the game around, being 15-40. I think that’s the best way for me to approach it. I think also for me to be winning that match against a top-10 opponent on Centre Court, it’s a beautiful feeling and one that I really want to savour.
“Tennis is pretty brutal in the way you have to enjoy it tonight and then tomorrow you’re already thinking about the next one. You can win the tournament but you can lose the first round the next week. It’s the sport. I’m just trying to cherish every moment I have here.”
When she is at her best, Raducanu is hard to stop of a tennis court.
A combination of grace, powerhouse hitting and an intimidating game style that puts her opponents on the back foot, she also, crucially, has the mental strength to finish off an opponent when she has her at her mercy.
Women’s tennis needs a superstar to drive a Wimbledon narrative that is so often dominated by the heroes of the men’s game and Raducanu has the pulling power to do that like few others.
