“The next year after winning a Slam is brutal” Sloane Stephens talks of difficulties Emma Raducanu is going through since winning the US Open
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Emma Raducanu and Sloane Stephens
Ever since Emma Raducanu went on to win the 2021 US Open, her life has changed for good and is undoubtedly one of the greatest underdog stories of the sport. Emma was ranked 150th in the world when she started at the tournament as a qualifier and then fought her way to the title without dropping a single set in the 3 qualifiers and 7 main-draw matches as she won the Slam at the age of 18.
Her victory at the Slam was a historic win for British tennis as she became the first British woman in 44 years to win a Grand Slam and the first British woman in 53 years to win the US Open title. She received a hero’s welcome when she returned back home and was honoured with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award along with getting an MBE from the Queen of England.
However, life on the Tour has not been good for the Brit since then. She is 2-4 on the Tour since her win in the US Open which includes her loss in her first match of the 2022 season where she lost 0-6, 1-6 to Elena Rybakina in less than an hour in the Tour event in Sydney. As she prepares for the 2022 Australian Open, Emma received advice from former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
“There’s so many different pressures after you win a Grand Slam. But I think as the years have gone on, every new champion has had some unique thing about them that’s made them have even more pressure. And I feel like the last Grand Slam champion, Emma, she’s like a British national hero (laughs). She’s probably gonna be like knighted, or literally, whatever the knighted version of a woman is like, she’s gonna be that. I mean she was on a stamp already,” said Sloane.
“Emma Raducanu is a great little champion” says Sloane Stephens
“I think the pressures of winning a Grand Slam are totally different now. I’m kind of thankful for being able to get back to my sport and do what I needed to do. When you carry the weight of a whole country, it’s very different. I haven’t had that pressure. But I do know that it’s very tough. So, blessings to her (laughs). I wish her well but I do know it will be difficult, but she’s a great little player. Everyone goes through those ups and downs thought.
“At some point, you like kind of come back down. It’s very emotional, I will say that. The next year after winning a Slam is brutal,” added Stephens during the tennis.com podcast hosted by Kamau Murray. Sloane and Emma are scheduled to meet each other in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open in a battle of the two US Open champions.
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