Is the US Open win the best and worst thing to ever happen to Emma Raducanu?
Emma Raducanu after her US Open win and a defeat.
Before August 2021, the name Emma Raducanu was only known by those in tennis circles.
The Canadian-born Briton turned professional in 2018, winning her first tournament in May, but a surprise call-up to Britain’s Fed Cup team saw her dubbed as “the British player with the most potential of her generation” by British newspaper the Telegraph.
But for Raducanu, now 22, there is unquestionably life before and after the 2021 US Open.
The Fairytale of New York it was described. A 150-ranked qualifier, not just unfancied but unheard of, winning 10 matches without even dropping a set to stun the tennis world. By the time of her final appearance, the UK in particular was gripped by tennis fever in a way it had not been since Andy Murray. Her final was broadcast on free-to-air television, an honour usually reserved only for Wimbledon.
