In light of Emma Raducanu's Wimbledon wildcard: How Brit went on to win US Open after similar opportunity at SW19
Emma Raducanu has been handed a Wimbledon wildcard for the second time in her career and the Brit is set to compete in the main draw at All England Lawn Tennis Club despite being ranked as the World No. 165 in the WTA rankings. The last time the 21-year-old was handed a Wimbledon wildcard, she won the US Open 2 months later.
Emma Raducanu made her WTA debut at the Nottingham Open in 2021 before being handed a Wimbledon wildcard. The then-teenager made it to the fourth round at SW19 on her Grand Slam debut. However, her real breakthrough came two months later in New York.
Raducanu started the US Open 2021 as a qualifier, winning all three qualifying matches in straight sets to enter the main draw. However, what followed was unprecedented in tennis history. The then-18-year-old went on to win the US Open as a qualifier without dropping a set throughout the tournament.
Raducanu defeated Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals, before following it up with a semi-final win over Maria Sakkari. The Brit faced Leylah Fernandez in the final and won 6-4, 6-3 to become the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam. Raducanu's US Open triumph helped her jump from 150th to 23rd in the WTA rankings.
Now, with another Wimbledon wildcard secured, Raducanu will hope to have a similar impact at the last two Grand Slams of the year.
Emma Raducanu looks back at the Wimbledon wildcard that led to US Open glory
Emma Raducanu recently opened up about her Wimbledon wildcard in 2021 that led to her competing at the US Open that year. The Brit made her debut on the WTA tour just one month before Wimbledon and ended the year as a Grand Slam champion.
Raducanu admitted that her career could have been very different had she not been given the wildcard at Wimbledon in 2021. The then-teenager was an unknown quantity and her impressive performance at the SW19 in 2021 helped her achieve the historic US Open title win that year.
“If I didn’t get that wild card [at Wimbledon], who knows what would have happened or if the US would have happened? So I think life is a compilation of butterfly effects and small moments that you don’t know what’s going to happen," Emma Raducanu said in an interview with the Telegraph.
Now, with Raducanu handed another wildcard at her home Grand Slam, the Brit will be keen to impress and try to replicate the success in 2024. The 21-year-old will aim to go one step better than her fourth-round finish at Wimbledon and try to match her historic US Open title win in 2021.