USA Today via Reuters
Sep 11, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrates with the championship trophy after her match against Leylah Fernandez of Canada (not pictured) in the women’s singles final on day thirteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 11, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrates with the championship trophy after her match against Leylah Fernandez of Canada (not pictured) in the women’s singles final on day thirteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
18-year-old Emma Raducanu emerged as the winner of the US Open 2021. She created history in New York after becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam. The British star thrashed Leylah Fernandez in straight sets in the finals to clinch the title.
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After Emma Raducanu’s victory at the US Open 2021, an interesting fact came into picture. The British player won the Grand Slam at the age of 18 years and 303 days. Intriguingly, at the same age, 9-time Grand Slam champion, Monica Seles had already won seven majors.
🇬🇧 Emma Raducanu at 18y 303d has won her 1st Slam
At same age 🇷🇸🇺🇸 Monica Seles had won 7#USOpen pic.twitter.com/cz7NRKoYOY
— TennisMyLife (@TennisMyLife68) September 11, 2021
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It is quite a mind-boggling fact as Seles had one of the best starts in tennis. It is because of this reason that many legends are now comparing Raducanu to her. Surprisingly, as a teenager, Seles won a total of 8 Grand Slam titles.
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Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, and others respond to the comparisons of Emma Raducanu and Monica Seles
American legends, Bille Jean King, Chris Evert, and Martina Navratilova, have already praised Raducanu. However, they took a moment and appreciated Seles for her phenomenal achievements as a teenager.
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“It’s incredible to think that Monica Seles won 7 Grand Slams as a teenager. She is absolutely one of the greatest competitors of our sport,” tweeted Jean King.
It’s incredible to think that @MonicaSeles10s won 7 Grand Slams as a teenager.
She is absolutely one of the greatest competitors of our sport. https://t.co/TgQK8WEB5w
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 21, 2021
18-time Grand Slam champion, Chris Evert, too showered love on Seles. She even believes that the former World No.1 player could have won many more titles.
“This incredible statistic often goes unnoticed. Monica Seles won 8 as a teenager… I mean, that’s unbelievable…. And she was on the path to win many, many more,” wrote Evert on Twitter.
This incredible statistic often goes unnoticed. @MonicaSeles10s won 8 as a teenager… I mean, that’s unbelievable…. And she was on the path to win many, many more..❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏#champ https://t.co/KOXGT2YKxf
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) September 20, 2021
Evert’s fierce opponent and tennis legend, Martina Navratilova, also said that Seles was one of the toughest players on tour.
“An amazing stat… Monica was as tough as they get,” tweeted Navratilova.
An amazing stat… Monica was as tough as they get… 👍🏼👍🏽👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 https://t.co/JoTKKhdETo
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) September 20, 2021
Emma Raducanu certainly has the potential of achieving what Monica Seles accomplished on tour. However, she has to play consistently well for that. Will she be able to end the year on a high and finish among the top-20 WTA players?
Also Read: “Grounding Force”: Monica Seles Talks About the Influence of Serena Williams’ Mother on Her Career
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