US Open 2021: Tennis queen Emma Raducanu even impresses the queen - "I enjoy life"
- By sennenqshop/li>
- 665
- 06/03/2023
From nothing to the new tennis queen. Emma Raducanu's sensational triumph at the US Open has the Brits in euphoria.
last edited by SID: 09/12/2021, 1:20 p.m
Elegant black evening dress, golden earrings - and of course the brightly polished silver cup firmly in her arms: When the new British tennis queen Emma Raducanu posed for photos steeped in history in New York late on Saturday evening, she still had no idea what kind wave of enthusiasm she had unleashed in her homeland.
"I haven't checked my phone yet," the 18-year-old said hours after her sensational US Open triumph: "I have absolutely no idea what's going on outside of the small world we're in ." The congratulations from Queen Elizabeth II, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and numerous other celebrities from sports and show business were initially in vain. Raducanu just wanted to enjoy the moment.
Raducanu ends dry spell
Previously, the high-flyer had achieved something that British sports fans had to wait 44 years for - the first women's Grand Slam victory since Virginia Wade in 1977 at Wimbledon. She was the first qualifier ever to pull off such a coup. And then without losing a sentence.
Raducanu's predecessor, aged 76 and with tears of emotion in her eyes, watched from the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium as the surprise winner watched the trophy in a rain of blue, white and red tinsel after her 6-4, 6-3 -Triumph against Leylah Fernandez from Canada who was just two months older and just as sensational.
Congratulations immediately followed from the Royal Palace and from 10 Downing Street. "This is a remarkable achievement at such a young age and a testament to your hard work and dedication," the real-life Queen said. Prime Minister Johnson congratulated him on such "extraordinary skill, composure and courage". Gary Lineker could hardly concentrate on his role as football TV pundit. And Boris Becker, who lives in London, recognized the birth of a new star player.
Raducanu's coup came out of nowhere as she has yet to win a match on the WTA Tour. "Anyone who had predicted such an unlikely triumph at the start of this remarkable tournament would have been promptly taken away by the men in the white coats," wrote the Sun. And for the Guardian, too, it was "one of the most amazing breakthroughs in living memory" that makes Raducanu "the Grand Slam champion forever".
"One of the most amazing breakthroughs in living memory"
The life of the daughter of a Chinese mother and a Romanian father changes in an instant. She is 2.5 million US dollars (approx. 2.1 million euros) richer and has jumped from 150th place in the world rankings to 23rd place. She is no longer perceived as a no-name in the scene.
But Raducanu didn't have time to look ahead at first, too caught up in the moment of triumph. She has absolutely no idea what to expect now, she said and beamed again: "At the moment I don't care, I just enjoy life."
How things will continue for Raducanu after this modern tennis fairy tale is of course still in the stars. However, there do not seem to be any limits at the moment. The 18-year-old doesn't want to think about it for the time being: "I just love my life now."
Here is the individual tableau in New York City