EMMA’S NOW A TALENT SPOTTER
Teenager to help discover new wave of female stars
EMMA RADUCANU will have a say on spending money from her US Open win to find future female Grand Slam champions.
Amazon Prime Video sold the rights to the final to Channel 4 for a “seven-figure sum” to allow 9.2million viewers to see her historic New York triumph.
The streaming video service also pledged to donate the fee from the free-to-air broadcaster to British tennis.
And yesterday Amazon announced that teenager Raducanu, who passed A Levels in maths and economics this summer, will help to decide the investment strategy to produce the next generation of female British stars.
Alex Green, managing director of Prime Video Sport in Europe, said: “Emma has a unique insight into what’s needed to help young women players rise to the top and we are going to be sitting down with her. She is very keen to do that.
“She knows she is a role model and can have a future beneficial impact.”
The money is in addition to the £30.5m investment announced by the Government and the LTA to improve park courts in a bid to take advantage of Raducanu’s extraordinary feats and popularity. Andy Murray has previously criticised the LTA for wasting his legacy. Green added: “I agree with that. This is a rare moment and we need to capitalise on it.” Raducanu lost her first match since New York at the BNP Paribas Open and has yet to decide if she will play at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow next week.
But Joe Salisbury claims tennis does not have “big expectations” for the British No.1 for the rest of the year and that she could be suffering from a recent lack of motivation.
Salisbury, who won the men’s and mixed doubles titles in New York, said: “Everybody who knows tennis well, I don’t think they had big expectations for her.
“Maybe motivation could be a factor coming off that high. I know that I’ve struggled a little bit the past couple of weeks.”
Cam Norrie will face world No.60 Tommy Paul of the US in the last 16 in Indian Wells after beating Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 5-7 6-3.
“It’s one of the best wins of the year for me. Bautista is such a great competitor,” said the British No.2.