Words on a Wonder: The Emma Raducanu Poem

INTERVIEW: Emma Raducanu prepares for her US Open title defense

Emma’s journey began in qualifying
She was seeded No. 31
Few watched on Court 11
But it was a sign of things to come

Bolkvadze won eight games in Emma’s next match
We’d later note how well she had done
Raducanu’s run in qualies paved the way
Her stay in the Big Apple proved fun

Brits have thrived at US Opens past
Murray ended his major drought years ago
He also found joy in Queens as a junior
Prior to hip surgeries he’d later undergo

When the main draw started Raducanu was unknown
At least beyond her native land
Her Open warm-up consisted of smaller events
But victories piled up in her hot hand

Voegele was the first to go
Before bettering Zhang raised an eyebrow or two
The slugger had shone on the biggest of stages
A battler, she’s difficult to subdue

Emma’s stats didn’t wane as early rounds progressed
Twenty-seven winners in two sets led the way
She delighted when Zhang’s last shot looped wide
Before waving to the crowd that day

More took note after the third round
Against Sorribes Tormo, in her best season to date
But the Spaniard departed with few answers
With but a single game to show—a cruel fate

Raducanu fits tennis’ cosmopolitan air
With idols named Halep and Li
Emma’s counterpunching is admirable,
but attacking is where she’s most free

Glancing at her strokes, one thinks of Li
The champion blessed with a comic wit
Congratulated Raducanu after the Brit’s Laureus win
The breakthrough award an appropriate fit

The teen’s weaponry impressed but did tennis gods assist?
Yes, as it might have turned out
Barty figured to be a fourth-round opponent
But American Rogers would win their bout

Raducanu made the fourth round of a second straight major
She thrived on Wimbledon’s grass, too
But she’d retire there with breathing issues
The whole experience was, as she said, all brand new

Only a short time before, Raducanu completed exams
She excelled in economics and math
If her tennis career suddenly came to a halt
Safe to presume she pursues another path

Rogers was no cakewalk, nor was Bencic
The Swiss left the Tokyo Games with gold
Yet she couldn’t protect an early break
Raducanu dealt with her pace—a sight to behold

A Greek star with heavy shots was next up
Sakkari is a star on courts with fast speed
But Emma feasted on second serves
Was a maiden Slam final in the cards? Indeed

Raducanu saw a familiar face in the final
Fernandez—to Canada’s joy and opponents’ scorn
The duo bonded in the juniors
Toronto is where Emma was born

Destiny favored both, but which would it be?
Emma broke to lead after holding serve
Fernandez rallied time and again in New York
Yet Raducanu kept holding her nerve

An ace thumped in the corner settled it all
Our first British women’s major champ since Wade
Virginia won her back in 1977
The student had certainly made the grade

Raducanu raced to 10 wins, conceding just 50 games
Shades of Swiatek at Roland Garros 2020
She struck 154 winners in the main draw
Or, quite simply, plenty

She received congratulations from the Queen
Monarchs rarely offer public praise
Yet this was no ordinary feat
Emma’s glory set off a craze

BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner
Murray the last tennis player to do so, in ’16
Raducanu edged divers, swimmers and boxers
And this after she had just turned 19

She had 2,000 Instagram followers before Wimbledon
Now the tally has surpassed 2 million
British Airways, Evian, Porsche and Dior came calling
Though her fortune has not quite reached a billion

But bumps would confront Raducanu this year
Only her first full season on the tour
So it has proved—just 9–12 by mid-July
Something she will just have to endure

In the spotlight like never before,
Blisters, hips, back and illness all slowed Emma down
Changing coaches have also made waves
Turning her smile to, at times, a frown

For one, coach Beltz came and went
After he helped Kerber achieve Slam success
Raducanu thanked Beltz, saying he had a huge heart
How many more coaches? It’s anyone’s guess

The last repeat women’s Open champ? Serena, in ’13
Emma’s rocky season suggests it’s a stretch
But given what happened last year
Could you really call it farfetched?