"Such an incredible story" - Miami Open director Blake praises Raducanu after handing her a wild card
WTA
Emma Raducanu received praise from the Miami Open tournament director, James Blake, for her incredible story at the US Open, comparing her rise to that of Maria Sharapova.
There are some similarities in their stories, as they were both young when they won their first major. For Sharapova, it came at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, while Raducanu was the best player at the 2021 US Open.
Both became superstars overnight, but while Sharapova quickly backed up her success with another major, the British player has yet to repeat her success at the New York Slam.
Raducanu will now play in Miami thanks to a wild card entry, which saved her from playing in the qualifiers. The Miami Open tournament director, James Blake, spoke about Raducanu ahead of the event, and he was impressed by her story.
"Raducanu is such an incredible story what she did at the US Open, taking the world by storm like we hadn’t seen since Maria Sharapova winning Wimbledon at such a young age and becoming a media phenomenon."- Blake on Raducanu
Raducanu is hoping to build upon a relatively solid start to this year after practicing a lot leading up to this North American stretch. She had some good moments in Indian Wells last year, and she will be hoping to find some form during the Sunshine Double this year.
"It's been a bit of a struggle since then, but realistically for her age, she’s getting better, and just happened to have one of her greatest performances at one of the biggest events on the calendar. She’s continuing to make progress."- Blake on Raducanu's woes
Blake is happy to have Raducanu in Miami as one of the rising stars of the game, and he will hope that she can stay in the draw long enough to entertain the crowd in Miami.
"We’re happy she’ll be in Miami. With the success she’s had on hard courts, hopefully she’ll feel comfortable here."
