So we have a new super-star, a long-established one doing all he can to fight his way back up the rankings, an unsung hero and a man who has admirably followed the mantra “if at first you don’t succeed try, try again.”
Emma Raducanu’s stunning success in New York was quite extraordinary. Her subsequent split with coach Andrew Richardson has left me a little uneasy but she is surrounded by a lot of knowledgeable and very ambitious people so it’s hard to make a relevant judgement on that from distance. What’s abundantly clear is her amazing natural talent, dedication to hard work and star quality both on and off court. I can’t wait to see how she performs in Indian Wells under the watch of Jeremy Bates. Our coverage on Prime Video begins on Thursday the 7th October.
I know Andy Murray was frustrated by his defeat against Casper Ruud in San Diego but it’s great to see him playing on a more regular basis again and if he continues to do that he will go really deep in an event sooner or later.
Cameron Norrie has been sensational this year. His wins over Denis Shapavalov and Andrey Rublev in San Diego were clear proof of just how well he’s playing as his ranking continues to rise. It’s a shame he was a little flat in the final but he has responded superbly after an early US Open exit.
And hats off to Liam Broady who’s had to endure a lot during his career and hasn’t always made life easy for himself. Yet his title success in Switzerland, in what was his 8th Challenger final, demonstrated what a fighter he has become with plenty of time to keep developing.
Having recovered from my Dracula shifts during the US Open I can’t wait to front the coverage from the California Desert on Prime. Enjoy it and spread the word. As nine and a half million people highlighted recently there’s a huge demand for live tennis in this country and this is a great time to be a British fan with so many of our doubles players, most notably Joe Salisbury and, this past weekend the Skupski brothers, performing magnificently, likewise our top wheelchair stars.
Long may it continue.
October 4th 2021