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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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?
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