Flavia Pennetta claims Emma Raducanu could not have won the US Open in her era, says the women's game today lacks "charisma"
Emma Raducanu stunned the tennis world with her dominant run to the 2021 US Open title in September. The 18-year-old qualifier won the tournament without dropping a set, joining the ever-growing club of first-time Grand Slam winners.
Flavia Pennetta, who knows what it feels like to stage an improbable run to a Grand Slam title, opened up about Raducanu's latest achievement. The Italian, who won the 2015 US Open, claimed Raducanu would not have been able to produce such a run during the era Pennetta was still playing.
Speaking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Pennetta, who retired in 2015, said top players made "too much of a difference" a few years ago.
"In my time it could never have happened that a young girl played from qualifying, like Emma Raducanu in New York, to win a Grand Slam," Pennetta said. "Top athletes made too much difference."
Pennetta further went on to say that the women's game today lacked a certain "charisma" that made it harder to market.
Highlighting the number of first-time winners emerging on the biggest stage, the Italian said the "sense of discontinuity" was not good for the sport.
"There is something wrong," Pennetta declared. "Charisma is missing, so women's tennis is more difficult to sell."
"I don't like it," she continued. "What is happening, this very strong discontinuity, in my opinion is not good for tennis."
Emma Raducanu signs yet another lucrative sponsorship deal
Emma Raducanu's popularity has skyrocketed since her US Open triumph and she has continued to attract huge sponsorship deals. The 18-year-old, who was announced as the face of Tiffany last month, has now been named as an ambassador for another luxury fashion brand, Dior.
Raducanu wore a Maria Grazia-designed dress to the premiere of the latest James Bond film in September. At the time she had hailed the feminist designs of Dior's creative director, calling her work "unique".
"Maria Grazia’s work empowers women to feel confident in the iconic Dior cut, which I feel is very unique," Raducanu had told Vogue at the time. "The sincerity of her approach and the way she turns shows into collective and meaningful events unquestionably influenced me in my choice."
Raducanu confirmed the new deal on social media, saying she was "very excited to join this iconic house."
very excited to join this iconic house, thank you @Dior ❣️🤍 twitter.com/BritishVogue/s…