Andy Murray has praised former world number one Emma Radocano for her stunning US Open victory as he believes the 19-year-old deserves to win this year’s BBC Sports Award.
19-year-old Raducanu celebrated one of the most impressive victories in tennis history when she became the first woman qualifier to win a major tournament. Raducanu has won several awards in the UK in the past few weeks and is now a strong candidate for the BBC SPOTY Award.
“She created one of the greatest sporting moments of the year, so yes, she deserved to win. Every time I won, I was always accused of not having a character, she’s definitely an amazing character.
“I hope you win,” Murray said via Reem Abliel.
Radokano talks about her US Open campaign
Raducanu first attracted attention at Wimbledon, where she reached the round of 16 as a wildcard.
“Wimbledon was the first moment I competed at the world level,” Radocano told Sky News. “Obviously there was a lot of excitement and adrenaline that I didn’t feel before because it was the first time.”
“I was very proud and happy to play at home in front of a local crowd, it was a special feeling, especially there in stadium 1, the biggest stadium I’ve ever played, so I was really nervous but I totally got it and loved it while I was there.”
Raducanu announced that she arrived in New York tired and just hoping to qualify. “I got to New York hoping maybe to make it through the playoffs. I was so tired.
I just had the best time and I think the key to that was just focusing on the day,” admitted Raducanu. Time passed, it went by so fast at the end that I thought, ‘I don’t want to go yet I want to stay’ and I got to the final stages of the tournament and I was like ‘But what if? You’re here why not? But no one has made it.’
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