Bates: Impact is huge for sport
IAIN BATES has watched first hand as Emma Raducanu has taken New York by storm.
And as head of women’s tennis at the LTA, he believes the
teenager’s rocketing rise to fame that led all the way to the US Open final can galvanise the grassroots game in Britain as well as act as a massive motivation for the girls who have followed a similar pathway as the Kent youngster.
Raducanu was one of three British girls – Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart were the others – who made it through qualifying to the main draw at Flushing Meadows and although she was the only one to make it beyond the first round, Bates is convinced they will take inspiration from her exploits.
Just as important, he insists, will be the number of kids picking up rackets to emulate Raducanu. And he believes her outgoing personality, as well as supreme on-court skills, are a massive billboard for the sport.
He needs to look no further than his own living room to witness the ‘Emma Effect’.
“I think when it comes to making my job easier, it’s at two levels,” he said. “One is around trying to challenge the others to make that kind of progress but secondly to get more kids playing the game to have more players in the pathway.
“There’s a couple of times my 10-year-old daughter has been absolutely transfixed by all of this and if that is being replicated across the country, then that’s awesome.
“We’ve all seen it, those of us that are here, how engaging she is.
“She transcends the tennis audience.”