Emma Raducanu news: Google searches for the Brit went through the roof in 2021

Emma Raducanu

When Emma Raducanu stepped onto the tennis scene at Wimbledon last year, and then went on to win the US Open just mere months later her popularity exploded and people became obsessed with her every move – which has now been officially proven.

It was revealed that the British No 1’s name generated eight million Google searches in the UK last year, compared to just 250 searches in May 2021, according to research from Futures Sport in association with the Women’s Sport Trust.

There is no doubt that the teenage sensation’s stellar rise to success, going from No 343 at the start of the year to ending it as a world No 19, fuelled this massive leap.

Her name hit the headlines in June of last year when she managed to make it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon despite being unseeded, however it was when she decided to retire during the tie after suffering with her breathing which really started the conversation around her as some, including former player John McEnroe, were speculating that she couldn’t handle the pressure.

Raducanu went on to rubbish these claims after her performances at Flushing Meadows where she became the 2021 US Open champion following a 10 match winning streak from qualifying right up until the final.

The 19-year-old also experienced a meteoric rise away from the court as well, just days after her win in New York she was invited to attend the star studded Met Gala and has since signed advertising deals with the likes of Dior, Tiffany & Co, British Airways and Evian, as well as winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Although her recent form hasn’t been great after she bowed out of the Australian Open in the second round, the Bromley local has impacted women’s sport as a whole as female sport attracted almost 33 million viewers last year and her US Open win was watched by a peak 9.2 million on free-to-air Channel 4.

Even though she didn’t get as far in the season opening Grand Slam as she did in the US, there is still plenty more to come from Raducanu so watch this space.

The world No 13 is next in action at the Abierto Akron Zapopan in Guadalajara in Mexico which gets underway on February 21.

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