Raducanu title very special, says Murray

Andy Murray has described Emma Raducanu's US Open title as "very special" after she became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title for 44 years on Saturday.

Published : Sep 14, 2021 09:22 IST , LONDON

Andy Murray has described Emma Raducanu's US Open title as "very special" after she became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title for 44 years on Saturday.

Nine years after Murray won the first of his three Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open, 18-year-old Raducanu stunned the tennis world by beating fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez in Flushing Meadows.

Raducanu, the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam title, did not drop a set throughout the tournament.

"It was incredible what she did there," Murray, who himself ended Britain's 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion when he beat Novak Djokovic in 2012 final, told the  BBC .

 

"What she did in New York was very special, a huge boost for British tennis and gives hopefully the governing bodies an opportunity to capitalise on that and get more and more kids involved in the sport. It's great what she did and a huge opportunity for British tennis now."

The 34-year-old Murray, who has long shouldered the burden of British tennis, said he knew how good Raducanu was when she reached the Wimbledon fourth round earlier this year.

"I've spent a little bit of time around her on the practice court, but more so in the same building, training close to each other, and watching what she's doing, and she's obviously really, really good," the former world number one said.

 

Emma Raducanu's U.S. Open victory is among the "greatest achievements" in women's sport, men's world number eight Dominic Thiem said.

"For me, it's one of the greatest achievements ever in women's sports," Thiem told  Omnisport  on Monday.

"It's an incredible journey if you look at the stats. She didn't lose one set the whole tournament. She came from qualifying, and she didn't even play one tiebreak.

"That's simply amazing and something that probably was never witnessed before.

"And also the way she plays, her technique, the way she moves, somehow she brought it up to a new level for the whole game ... it was great to see."

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