British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu scripted history with her title run in the US Open 2021. While the hopes were pretty slim, the Briton had an amazing 10-match run. The way she clinched the title is nothing short of an inspiration.

A year after Raducanu’s brilliant win, her old rival Sonay Kartal spoke about the lasting impact her achievement was going to make. Playing together for a long time, it was amazing for her to see one of her colleagues make it big. Here’s what she said.

Sonay Kartal reacts to Emma Raducanu’s dream run in the US Open 2021

Not many would have thought that Raducanu, coming from qualifiers, will defeat the giants of tennis and win her very first US Open. While the story in itself sounds amazing, it was more inspiring for her colleagues. Kartal faced Raducanu growing up, and it recently spoke about the impact Raducanu’s success had on her. Here’s what she said in an interview with express.co.uk.

“I think that her story last year was incredible. And I think it did inspire so many of us. Just knowing that this is someone who was our age, who was at the time at a similar ranking.”

She further added, “if she can go and do it then it’s definitely achievable and obviously it’s very intimidating. Knowing you’ve got to come through qualifying and do all kind of that stuff but yeah, I think she inspired loads of young girls but she also inspired her peers.”

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While her achievement is nothing short of legendary, what followed was pretty average. This season, the Briton faced multiple injuries and a drop in form. With her excellence last year, Raducanu increased the expectations fans have of her. However, she has failed to live up to the hype.

Fans slam Emma Raducanu for having a poor run

After her success in the US Open 2021, Raducanu failed to carry forward the momentum. She faced early exits in most of the tournaments she participated in. However, on contrary to her performance, her brand value has increased significantly.

The 2021 US Open champion is cashing in from her US Open title and had a record earning this year. Fans, however, are not happy with this. They blamed the Briton for sliding off the track and forgetting her primary role as a tennis player.

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Although Raducanu is going through a tough phase now, she still is very young and has a good long time to shape her career. It will be interesting to see how she bounces back in the coming season.