Emma Raducanu, the US Open champion, believes that her run to the Flushing Meadows final in 2021, along with Canadian Leylah Fernandez, made a message for the younger generation and demonstrated the strength of women’s tennis.
Teenagers Raducanu and Fernandez, who were born a few months apart in 2002, came out of nowhere at Flushing Meadows last year to compete in the first grand slam final involving unseeded players.
The message, according to Radicand, 19, who is currently ranked 11th in the world, is “how strong the next generation is,” he told reporters on Friday. We’re both really young, you know. We’ll be participating in the sport for a very long time.
“I believe the women’s game is so deep overall that we were both able to accomplish it. I came in at 150. Before the competition, Leylah’s ranking is unknown to me. Yes, the field for women is very, very robust.”
She thinks the duo’s remarkable runs at the hardcourt major gave many players outside the top names in the sport optimism because Raducanu went on to become the first qualifier to win a major title last year.
“Since then, I believe, qualifying has gained favor. I don’t believe it is perceived as “Oh, you qualify,” “Prior to the start of the U.S. Open main draw on Monday, Radicand spoke with media.
“But I also believe that many other athletes on the field have the attitude that “I can accomplish that, too.” Perhaps in the past, there wasn’t the stigma that only the best players could pull it off. What we accomplished, in my opinion, proves that everything is really possible.”
When Raducanu went back to Flushing Meadows to defend her title, she recalled how anxious she was on the morning of the 2021 final.
“I think the media simply makes up the idea of defending a title. I’m just dealing with each match as it comes “She continued, mentioning that she had no problems with injuries.
I’m merely going to carry out my own plans, like I stated last year.
