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Emma Raducanu appeared as a cover star for the sports section of the Guinness Book of World Records 2023 edition, with her 2021 US Open heroics still shining brightly. This is another feather in the youngster's cap after she recently became the fourth-highest earning female athlete in the world.
Raducanu created a 'world record' by becoming the first-ever qualifier, male or female, to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era. She did so at the age of 18 by defeating then-19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the final. Fernandez also received a special mention on the cover.
A close shot of Emma Raducanu playing a forehand in the final alongside her moments of celebration was featured on the cover page of the sports section. This included a snap of herself and Leylah Fernandez proudly posing with their trophies.
Elaborating on Raducanu's achievement, the Guinness Book of World Records highlighted that the Brit achieved the "Fairytale of New York" at the 2021 US Open. She won 10 matches in a row, including the qualifying rounds, all in straight sets to clinch the title.
"At the 2021 US Open, Emma Raducanu served up a sporting triumph against the odds that became known as the 'Fairytale of New York,'" the script read.
"Playing in only her fourth WTA event, and ranked 150 in the world, Raducanu came through three qualifying and seven main draw matches to clinch the title - without even dropping a set.
"The 18-year-old beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the first open-era Grand Slam singles final contested by unseeded players. Their combined age was just 37 years [and] 307 days."
Emma Raducanu wants to add another title in 2023 to her historic 2021 US Open triumph
After a challenging 2022 season that did not pan out the way she expected, Emma Raducanu believes 2023 holds better things in store.
The 20-year-old recently opened up about her future goals, declaring that achieving peak match fitness remains a top priority for her.
Raducanu feels she might not hit her full stride in that regard in 2023. However, she is quite motivated to add another title to her trophy cabinet to go alongside the 2021 US Open, which remains her only WTA title so far.
"One of my biggest goals is to – it might not come this year, but to go out on the court and not think about my fitness, not think about, oh, like start the timer, I've got 60 minutes to finish this match," Raducanu told France 24.
"I want to be able to go out there and just focus on the tennis. I think this year I'm in a better position but it's still going to take some time to develop fully. I think my goal in 2023 is probably to win a title."
In the process, the World no. 78 will also aim to return to the top 10 of the WTA rankings, where she made her debut in July this year. Raducanu maintained a Top-15 spot throughout the season until her 2022 US Open first-round loss, which led to a fall in the rankings.
