© Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
Martina Navratilova thinks Emma Raducanu’s US Open win turned into “a handicap” and undoubtedly put up “a big burden” on the Briton’s back but also highlights that the 21-year-old’s historic Grand Slam win was certainly “not a fluke.”
When Raducanu became a Grand Slam champion at the 2021 US Open, she did it like no one had ever done before – as a qualifier. At the time of her 2021 US Open win, Raducanu was just 18 and playing in her second Grand Slam main draw – her Slam debut came at Wimbledon two months earlier.
En route to sealing a historic US Open win, Raducanu won three matches in straight sets before also winning all of her seven main draw matches in two sets. At the time, the Briton was widely tipped to have a great future and do more major things.
But two and a half years later, Raducanu hasn’t won any titles since the 2021 US Open – nor has made any WTA Finals – she was just once a semifinalist in late 2022 in Seoul.
Early exits and inconsistent results led to the Briton facing some harsh criticism and scrutiny for her results. Also, for already quite some time, some have been calling the 2021 US Open champion “a one-Slam wonder.”
