Flintshire coach leads congratulations as Emma Raducanu clinches historic US Open triumph

Winning grand slam titles is supposed to be hard – just ask Andy Murray – but his 18-year-old compatriot did not so much clear all the usual hurdles as sidestep them altogether, going home with the trophy in just her second major tournament.

That was an unprecedented feat, as was the fact she won 10 matches at the tournament after coming through qualifying, all of them in straight sets.

Leading the congratulations from the UK, world of tennis, and beyond, was Flintshire's Matt James.

GET IN THEREEEEEE 💪💪💪 US Open Champ!!!! Can’t believe what we’ve just witnessed!! @EmmaRaducanu @the_LTA pic.twitter.com/mGLD5rtaqj

— Matt James (@MattJames90) September 11, 2021

Originally from Sychdyn, Matt is one of the coaches that has guided Emma in recent years.

He tweeted a video of himself as Emma won the championship, adding: "GET IN THEREEEEEE. US Open Champ!!!! Can’t believe what we’ve just witnessed!!"

Matt worked with Raducanu full-time for just over two years, honing her game for senior tennis and helping her take her first steps on the professional tour before taking up a role as the Lawn Tennis Association’s National Tennis Centre Coach last October.

Great Britain's Emma Raducanu holds the trophy as she celebrates winning the women's singles final on day twelve of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, New York. Picture date: Saturday

Before last night's historic win, Matt said: “I was lucky enough to do two years with Emma and we had different people coming in, almost consultants and people that would give their advice, and that’s just how they wanted it. Her dad and Emma just wanted the knowledge.

“She’s a bright girl and she can remember it and process it, and almost seeing it as the more the better rather than hearing the same thing over and over. They’ve stuck to their guns, which you’ve got to respect because it’s obviously worked out pretty well for them.”

Great Britain's Emma Raducanu celebrates winning the women's singles final on day twelve of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, New York. Picture date: Saturday September 11, 2021.

Matt, who trained at the Wrexham Tennis Academy during his own playing career, was part of Raducanu’s team at Wimbledon and has been rubbing his eyes with disbelief watching her performances from home.

The former Maes Garmon pupil is now National Tennis Centre coach for the Lawn Tennis Association, which supports Raducanu through its Pro Scholarship Programme.

He said: “Just immensely proud watching her play and compete like she’s doing. It’s almost too much now. Going into the final it’s almost making it too much to believe.

“Up until then it’s kind of like, ‘Yeah, Emma is a pretty special talent’, but now saying out loud that she is in a grand slam final is just really bizarre and just more than we all expected I think.

“We knew that the tennis was there but to keep going physically and mentally for nine matches now (including qualifiers) is just quite incredible for her and the team that’s out there with her.”

Raducanu’s 6-4 6-3 victory over fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez in the final made her the first British woman since Virginia Wade, who was watching from the stands, 44 years ago to win a slam singles title, and the first in New York since Wade in 1968.

Raducanu is yet to win a match on the WTA Tour and little over three months ago she was a full-time schoolgirl completing her A-levels, with competitive tennis having taken a back seat for more than a year.

But the teenager’s extraordinary talent was evident from an early age and she showed in her run to the fourth round of Wimbledon this summer that a big future lay ahead.

Raducanu said: “I’ve always dreamed of winning a grand slam.

"You say, ‘I want to win a grand slam’, but to have the belief I did, and actually executing, winning a grand slam, I can’t believe it.

“I first started when I was a little girl but I think the biggest thing that you have visions of, for me it was just winning, the winning moment, and going to celebrate with your team in the box. That’s been playing in my head a couple of nights. I’ve fallen asleep to that.”

Raducanu’s run has been marked by an almost preternatural calmness, which included shutting out the excitement and hype her achievements have generated back home.

The teenager has been inundated with congratulatory messages, including from the Queen, but she said: “I still haven’t checked my phone.

“I have absolutely no idea what’s going on outside of the little world that we’re in here. We’ve just been in the quiet room, just enjoying the moment, taking it all in. I think today we just really need to shut out from everything, just enjoy it as a team, because it was a team effort.

“I have no idea when I’m going home. I have no idea what I’m doing tomorrow. I definitely think it’s the time to just switch off from any future thoughts or any plans, any schedule. I’ve got absolutely no clue. Right now, no care in the world, I’m just loving life.”

Great Britain's Emma Raducanu celebrates winning the women's singles final on day twelve of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, New York. Picture date: Saturday September 11, 2021.

Raducanu’s team includes her parents, Ian and Renee, who were forced to watch their daughter on TV because of the continuing difficulties of international travel.

One of Raducanu’s proudest achievements was impressing her dad, who has been the driving force behind the scenes.

She said: “I would have loved them to be here, and we can all celebrate together where they could be with me and experience the same things. But they’re watching from home very proud.

“My dad, he said to me, ‘You’re even better than your dad thought’, so that was reassurance. Tinie Tempah reference there. My dad is definitely very tough to please. But I managed to today.”

Much was made of Raducanu’s unfortunate retirement at Wimbledon with breathing difficulties but the teenager quickly put it behind her and used it as a springboard to this incredible feat.

She worked hard on being physically strong enough to compete at the top level and, through a series of matches first at lower-tier events and then at Flushing Meadows, made leaps forward with each one.

She said: “At the beginning of the grass courts, I was coming fresh off my exams. I had three weeks to practise before my first tournament. I just built up every single match, every single win.

“I thought Wimbledon was such an incredible experience. Fourth round, second week, I couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘What a great achievement’.

“But I was still hungry. I was working hard after the grass. I didn’t have much time off. With each match and tournament, I think I’ve really built in terms of confidence, in terms of my game, in terms of my ball striking. Everything came together today.

“I think to pull off some of the shots I did in the big moments when I really needed it was just an accumulation of everything I’ve learnt in the past five weeks.”

This was the first all-teenage final this millennium, with Canadian Fernandez having pulled off a giant-killing run including victories over two former champions in Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber and top-five seeds Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka.

The 19-year-old looked the more nervous of the two initially and Raducanu surged into a 2-0 lead but Fernandez pegged her straight back and it was nip and tuck all through a brilliant first set until the 10th game.

The biggest difference between the two was perhaps Raducanu’s exceptional returning, and she piled on the pressure before taking her fourth set point with a forehand winner down the line, raising her arms aloft and letting out a huge ‘Come on’.

Four games in a row for Raducanu from an early break down in the second set took her to the brink of victory but Fernandez is a tenacious competitor and she saved two match points at 5-2 to force her opponent to try to serve it out.

The unsuccessful efforts of trying to prevent a break point resulted in Raducanu cutting her leg, requiring a medical timeout at the most inopportune of moments.

Fernandez was furious but Raducanu composed herself, saved two break points and clinched victory in fittingly clinical style with an ace.

Of the medical timeout, the teenager said: “I didn’t actually want to stop because I thought it would disrupt my rhythm.

“But I couldn’t play on. I wasn’t allowed to because my knee was gushing with blood. I guess I just went over and was really trying to think what my patterns of play were going to be, what I was going to try to execute.

“Going out there facing a break point after a two or three-minute disruption isn’t easy. I think I managed to really pull off the clutch plays when I needed to.”

As well as a cheque for £1.8million – dwarfing her previous earnings of £220,000 – Raducanu collects 2,000 ranking points and will soar up the standings from 150 to 23.

Great Britain's Emma Raducanu in action during the women's singles final on day twelve of the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, New York. Picture date: Saturday September 11, 2021.

Congratulations

Following her win, the Queen congratulated the teenager, saying: “It is a remarkable achievement at such a young age, and is testament to your hard work and dedication.”

She added: “I have no doubt your outstanding performance, and that of your opponent Leylah Fernandez, will inspire the next generation of tennis players. I send my warmest good wishes to you and your many supporters.”

England captain Harry Kane paid tribute to Raducanu on Sunday morning, tweeting: “Amazing achievement @EmmaRaducanu. Done yourself and the whole country proud. Congratulations!”

Four-time US Open winner Billie Jean King was present to watch Raducanu beat Fernandez in New York.

She said on Twitter: “What a terrific display of competition and maturity from two exceptional players. It is wonderful to see this generation living our dream.

“I can’t remember a #USOpen with better crowd support. Thank you, NY, the greatest fans in the world. And congratulations, Emma!”

Manchester United tweeted “the Reds were right behind you” as the club offered its congratulations to Raducanu.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid tribute to Raducanu.

“What a sensational match! Huge congratulations to @EmmaRaducanu. You showed extraordinary skill, poise and guts and we are all hugely proud of you,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also hailed her achievement, writing on Twitter: “Huge congratulations @EmmaRaducanu on your stunning performances and historic Grand Slam victory!

Tennis great Martina Navratilova paid tribute to Raducanu and offered her commiserations to Fernandez on the loss.

“A star is born- Emma Raducanu makes history – never has a qualifier won a major- men or women- and she is just getting started,” Navratilova tweeted.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “What a winner. A true British hero. Congratulations @EmmaRaducanu on an inspirational win. From qualifier to champion without dropping a set. A phenomenal achievement.”