"The next 10 months will be completely different to anything she has experienced" - Judy Murray on Emma Raducanu
In her column for the Daily Telegraph, Judy Murray, renowned tennis coach and Andy Murray's mother, highlighted that Emma Raducanu has a "steep learning curve" ahead of herself despite finding success at the 2021 US Open. She admitted that even though the British youngster's tennis is in a "good place", the next 10 months will be completely different for her.
Emma Raducanu shot to fame after achieving glory at the 2021 US Open. The Brit became the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam title. She achieved this feat without dropping a single set. Raducanu's magnificent performance in New York helped her end the year ranked within the top 20.
British teenager Emma Raducanu wins US Open women's singles title, beats Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 to become the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam
#EmmaRaducanu #USOpen https://t.co/wrbHgirE68
In the column, Judy Murray emphasized that the upcoming season will be challenging for Raducanu. She mentioned that Raducanu will go through a transition phase where she will have to adjust from being an "A-Level school girl" to a player constantly competing with the top players in the world.
“The next 10 months will be completely different to anything she has experienced in her fledging albeit incredibly exciting career. It will be a steep learning curve on the women’s circuit as she adjusts from the relative anonymity of an A-Level schoolgirl to the dog-eat-dog world of week in, week out tour tennis," wrote Judy Murray in the Daily Telegraph.
Murray stated that she felt "pleased" hearing that Raducanu wants to dedicate more time to her fitness ahead of the 2022 Australian Open. She also called on the tennis community not to burden the Brit with extra pressure.
“I was so pleased to hear her say she wants to prioritise the development of her game and work on her fitness in the build-up to the Australian Open,” said the coach.
“Her tennis is already in such a good place, but it’s important that we don’t heap expectation and pressure on her. Let’s give her time and space to grow her game and get to grips with what the pro tennis circuit will demand of her," concluded Judy Murray.
Emma Raducanu wins the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award
Emma Raducanu was honored with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award on Sunday. She is the first British female tennis player to receive the award since Virginia Wade in 1977 and the third WTA player overall to be felicitated with the honor.
The winner of BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 is…
🌟 EMMA RADUCANU 🌟
#SPOTY
Three-time Grand Slam Andy Murray was the last British player to receive the award in 2016. He has won it thrice in his career so far.
In case you missed it...
Andy Murray is the 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
➡️ bbc.in/2hJGFEl #SPOTY https://t.co/ORH2fPE6F8
Raducanu is currently in quarantine in Abu Dhabi after testing positive for COVID-19. While she could not be physically present to collect her award, she delivered her acceptance speech virtually:
"I'm really happy with this. I've watched Sports Personality of the Year growing up and it's an honour to be among those past winners. I'm happy for British tennis as well, and that we've managed to get this award... again!" she said.
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