“An incredible story,” Emma Raducanu compared to Maria Sharapova by Miami Masters director
Miami Open director James Blake believes Emma Raducanu's 2021 US Open victory was similar to Maria Sharapova's famous Wimbledon win in 2004.
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Emma Raducanu, Maria Sharapova
British sensation Emma Raducanu has received a wild card to participate in the Miami Open scheduled to start later this month. The 2021 US Open champion is among the ones to be announced as the tournament’s first wild cards. Currently ranked No.80, she was four spots outside the Miami main draw cut.
This will cheer Raducanu who has been struggling with her form since the historic triumph in the Flushing Meadows. The following months have not been as successful as she was expecting. Now, Miami Open provides her another chance to redirect her career.
Tournament director James Blake was all praise for Raducanu following the news. He believes that Raducanu’s success was unprecedented, at least since former tennis star Maria Sharapova made her mark on the scene by winning the Wimbledon title against Serena Williams in 2004.
“Raducanu is such an incredible story of what she did at the US Open, taking the world by storm like we hadn’t seen since Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon at such a young age and becoming a media phenomenon,” said Blake.
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Emma Raducanu is getting better despite the struggles, Blake believes
After creating history in the 2021 US Open, Raducanu became the latest sensation in the tennis arena. She was widely appreciated by the fans, media, and tennis pundits as the next big thing. But, things did not pan out as everyone expected. The former World No. 10 ended the 2022 season ranked 75th.
First, a drop in form and then a wrist injury in the last season forced Raducanu to sit out of the court for some time. In the 2023 Australian Open, Raducanu could not cross Coco Gauff’s challenge in the second round. Now with the Sunshine Double, Raducanu will hope to return to the winning ways. Earlier she received a wild card for Indian Wells as well.
According to Blake, Raducanu is already making progress. “It’s been a bit of a struggle since then, but realistically for her age, she’s getting better, and just happened to have one of her greatest performances at one of the biggest events on the calendar. She’s continuing to make progress. We’re happy she’ll be in Miami. With the success she’s had on hard courts, hopefully, she’ll feel comfortable here,” he explained.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)