Andy Murray says Emma Raducanu's US Open triumph was "very special", claims her success will be a "huge boost" for British tennis
Emma Raducanu made history at the US Open on Saturday as she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title. The 18-year-old triumphed in New York without dropping a set, defeating fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez in the final.
Raducanu's triumph came as a huge surprise considering her lowly ranking at the time and the fact that she had never won a title heading into the US Open.
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However, three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray claimed Raducanu's US Open win was not shocking as those involved in British tennis knew exactly what she was capable of achieving.
Speaking after his first-round win at a Challenger event in Rennes, Murray heaped praise on Raducanu, saying she had achieved something "incredible."
"It was incredible what she (Emma Raducanu) did there," Murray was quoted as saying by Eurosport. "I think for a lot of the people involved in British tennis, we knew she was extremely good. She hadn’t competed much for the last sort of 18 months or so with school and coronavirus and those sorts of things, but I think at wimbledon" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wimbledon everyone sort of got a bit of a glimpse of how good she could be."
Murray believes Raducanu's triumph at Flushing Meadows is a "huge boost" for British tennis and will inspire young kids across the country to take up the sport.
"But 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," he added.
Andy Murray talking about Emma Raducanu’s US Open victory in his press conference in Rennes: https://t.co/j2aGFDfSh2
"She's obviously really, really good" - Andy Murray on training with Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu played flawless tennis in New York. She defeated the likes of Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari en route to the title and did not drop more than five games in a set. Prior to the US Open, the 18-year-old had made a splash at Wimbledon by reaching the fourth round.
Andy Murray revealed that he had spent plenty of time training with Raducanu in the past, and as such, believes she's a special talent.
"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," Murray said. "Watching what she’s doing, and she’s obviously really, really good."