Raducanu showing her winning ways
This US Open has been full of delightful surprises, none more gratifying than the moment of respect and mutual admiration shared by Emma Raducanu and Virginia Wade on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night.
Having just squashed Shelby Rogers for the loss of only three games, Raducanu made a point of thanking Wade — who remains Britain’s most successful Open-era champion — for taking the time to watch her play.
Wade smiled beatifically and applauded Raducanu, whose fearless tennis had just carried her through to the quarter-finals without dropping a set.
Later, Wade told the Daily Telegraph that she could see no weaknesses in Raducanu’s game, only upsides.
“There’s a few categories that I rate players on: athleticism, determination, technique, concentration and an ability to improvise,” Wade said. “Emma ticks all the boxes in my mind. She’s got a good physique. She’s quick, very athletic and hits the ball beautifully in all areas.
“The only thing that could stop her would be injuries, or overplaying and getting stale and distracted,” Wade added. “But I’m very optimistic. She could even go on to win this tournament. In the long run I don’t think it matters one way or another. But you look at it and think, ‘Why not?”’
At 76, Wade was the last British woman to lift the US Open title, back in 1968. She also won Wimbledon in 1977 and the Australian Open in 1972, credentials that identify her as Britain’s greatest player of the professional era.
After Tuesday’s match, Raducanu and Wade met up for a chat in the warren of corridors that run underneath Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I thought she was a really nice person,” Wade said. “I know she’s smart. She values her education.
“I told her, ‘Don’t touch social media.’ She said, ‘Yeah, I’ve given my phone to somebody to look after.’ It’s awful what social media has to say.
“Elina Svitolina [the recent Olympic bronze medallist] said to me, ‘You wouldn’t believe the hate mail we get.’ You really have to control yourself to stay away from all that. It’s vicious out there. You get all the good things, but it can be 100 compliments and one nasty one that sticks with you. ”
Wade herself still goes out once a week for a hit, although like all former tennis players she laments the creaky state of her knees.
She was due back at Flushing Meadows yesterday to watch Leylah Fernandez, the 19-year-old Canadian who provided the tournament with one of its finest matches when she beat Angelique Kerber, the 2016 champion, in their fourth-round meeting.
“She is so exuberant, it’s lovely,” Wade said. “I find her just as much of a thrill to watch as Emma. She is chirpy and funny and really says the right thing.”
Meanwhile, Wade will continue to follow Raducanu’s campaign closely. “Emma can take advantage of her unfamiliarity,” she said. “You come out of the gate, and nobody knows what to do against you. Then eventually they get used to the way you play and work out the best way to beat you. Iga Swiatek [who won the French Open last year aged 19] is a good example. The way she won Rome [in May], she just went bang, bang, bang.
“We saw it with Shelby Rogers on Monday. Shelby is a nice girl and a good player, and that was another reason why I wanted to come and watch the match. In the end, I felt bad for Shelby because she played horribly. But that was very much due to Emma’s good form, and it was really fun to be there, right at the front of the stadium.”
Emma ticks all the boxes in my mind. Former Slam winner Virginia Wade