Emma Raducanu: A New British Star Is Born At Wimbledon
Wimbledon
July 3, 2021
Emma Raducanu was simply out of this world on No1 Court as she announced her arrival as the new superstar of British tennis.
It looks like we have our own Coco Gauff – only a year older.
Emma will play on No1 Court again on Manic Monday.
Gauff gets Centre Court billing again because she is drawn against former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber.
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer also play their matches on Centre Court on Monday.
Some of us have been talking about Raducanu for a year or two. But belief in this young lady hasn’t exactly been a worldwide phenomenon – until now.
One BBC commentator admitted she hadn’t even heard of her until this week.
Other media pundits have tried to suggest there is no new talent coming through in British tennis.
But anyone who spent early Saturday afternoon watching Wimbledon will never forget the name Emma Raducanu again.
Raducanu said: ‘Honestly I’m so speechless right now. I’m so, so grateful for all the support I had today.
‘Just to stay here another day and play in front of you all!
‘At the beginning I was definitely nervous because this is by far the biggest court I’ve played on.’
To think she was 3-1 down in the first set against the very talented Sorana Cirstea.
But the 18-year-old Londoner promptly won the next eight games with a quality sent straight from the tennis gods.
She even had three break points to go 4-0 ahead in the second set.
But the ride became a little bumpier for a while.
No matter. Emma Raducanu is made of tough stuff.
Born to a Romanian father and Chinese mother, her tennis heroines are Simona Halep and Li Na.
But she moved to London when she was just two years old and she is proud to be British.
To play on a show court at Wimbledon didn’t unnerve her at all.
Every shot in the book seemed to pay off for much of the match.
She served like a dream She fired powerful backhands and forehands, and even spontaneous lobs.
Raducanu couldn’t stop smiling. It was as if she could hardly believe it all.
Her strength of character came under scrutiny when Cirstea hit back with three successive games to draw level in the second.
Could Emma hold her nerve and see the match out?
You bet she could. It wasn’t just a 6-3, 7-5 victory. It meant a star was born.
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