A few short weeks ago a teenaged schoolgirl recently sitting her 'A'-Levels and previously unknown except to her close family and a few in the tennis world, caused some ripples in the early rounds of the Wimbledon Championships. This girl had promise and, as she was British and really successful British players have been few and far between, she made news until an unfortunate exit from the Championships with breathing difficulties. "Did she have the bottle", asked some ? "Was she just a flash in the pan", asked others ?
Yesterday, this former schoolgirl proved that she both had 'the bottle' and was no 'flash in the pan'. Emma Raducanu, who had been ranked outside of the world's top 350 only 3 months ago, achieved what had never been done before. This young woman, no longer to be seen as a teenaged schoolgirl, came through 3 rounds of qualifying plus the 7 rounds of the main tournament without losing a set and rarely losing her serve, and lifted the trophy signifying that she had won the United States Women's Singles' Tennis Championship. In only her 4th event on the Women's main tour, and 2nd Grand Slam event, she achieved what had been considered impossible.
Never before had a player, man or woman, who had come through the qualification rounds of a Grand Slam tournament even reached the final of such an event, let alone won it without conceding a single set upon the way. Never before had such an inexperienced player won a major championship. Emma Raducanu's achievement is mind-boggling. Now set to be ranked as the 23rd best player in the world, she will be seeded and amongst the favourites for whichever events she enters in the next few months at least. Qualifying for events is a thing of the past.
When it comes to Grand Slams, if she maintains her form and position, she will surely be among the favourites to win the Australian title next January, if the tournament goes ahead. At the French championship it may be that the game of yesterday's opponent, and another brilliantly talented teenager, Leylah Fernandez, could prove to be better suited to the Paris clay, but her performance at this year's Wimbledon suggests that grass suits her.
For the first time in 44 years, a British woman won a Grand Slam tournament, the last such triumph being that of Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977, the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. There can be no doubt that an 18 year old Raducanu can only improve and that further Grand Slam victories may well be within her grasp but, perhaps, to win Wimbledon in 2022, the year of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee would be a most wonderful way to celebrate both the life long dedication of Her Majesty and the amazing promise of the next generation, and the next, and the next ........ .
Win or lose, this young woman is astonishing. Her calm maturity on court in front of a vast crowd, mostly supporting her opponent added to her equally calm manner before the stern eye and ear of the media mark her out as a woman of extraordinary abilities. After yesterday a millionaire and a global sensation; in the future and if she can continue in the same vein, the world is truly her oyster.
If anyone needed a role model, male or female, they need look no further.
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