She might have down to earth with a bump, but Emma Radacanu can have the same sort of influence over the future of women’s tennis in the UK, as did the Williams sisters in the US.
Radacanu may not be the youngest female tennis player to have won the US Open, but she is certainly the one who did it with the minimum of professional matches played under her belt. The youngest winner was Tracy Austin in 1979, who lifted the trophy at the age of 16 years, 8 months. Second is Martina Hingis, who won in 1997 when she was 16 years and 10 months old, and third is Monica Seles, who won at the age of 17 years and 8 months in 1991.
Serena William is the 4th youngest to win the American Grand Slam. The year was 1999, and she was 17 years and 11 months old. But it was she and her sister Venus who changed the face of women’s tennis in the US.
Despite Emma Radacanu’s recent losses at Indian Wells and the Transylvania Open, David Haggerty, the President of the International Tennis Federation, still believes the young Brit can emulate Serena and Venus providing she knuckles down and concentrates on becoming one of the world’s elite women players.
She still has a long way to go. After reaching the quarter-finals of the Transylvanian tournament, she is number 21 in the WTA world rankings. But Haggerty thinks that with the stunning start she has made, she can become a serious contender in any competition she enters and that she will inspire a new generation of young British female players.
But the 18-year-old Brit has got to get her stall in order, starting with her coach. Having won the US Open in such a sensational fashion, her sacking of the coach who got her
there, Andrew Richardson, came as quite a shock. It came just two months after she had sacked her former coach, the experienced Nigel Sears, after the promise she showed at Wimbledon.
She then took on Richardson, who had previously coached her when she was aged between 11 and 13. But now, she has shot from 200 in world rankings to 21; she feels she needs a coach with experience at the top level, something that Richardson doesn’t have.
While she said she would take her time in appointing a new coach, her recent performances would seem to indicate it is needed sooner rather than later – especially if she is to reach the WTA Finals. One of the favourites is the Argentinian Carlos Rodrigues, who coached Li Na, China’s Grand Slam champion. He has links with Radacanu’s agents, IMG.
One thing is for sure. A decision must be made soon if she is to get back into contention and inspire the new crop of aspiring British female hopefuls.