Raducanu success - shot in the arm for tennis
Lawn tennis clubs across the Black Country are hoping the success of the new US Open champion Emma Raducanu will be a shot in the arm for the sport at the grassroots.
The 18-year-old sensation has been stunning fellow players and sports commentators with her precision shot making since bursting onto the women's tour at this year's Wimbledon after completing her A levels.
Some clubs have now been receiving a string of inquiries since her amazing fairytale win against the equally outstanding Leylah Fernandez, 19, at Flushing Meadows, in New York, on Saturday.
Stourbridge Lawn Tennis & Squash Club Ltd club manager Diane Hart said the centre has handled 20 inquiries in the 48 hours following Raducanu's victory.
"We are very pleased about Emma Raducanu's win. She is amazing and wonderful young lady who is also the ultimate role model and champion we're all looking for.
"Both of these girls are absolutely lovely. Their tennis is amazing along with their big personalities. We couldn't have asked for a better final. If any boys and girls want to come along to hit some balls they are more than welcome.
"We also hold sessions in squash and racquetball."
The private club based in Sugar Loaf Lane, Stourbridge, has also recently appointed Frankie Wilkes, 24, a former ITF Women's World Tennis Tour player, of Kinver, to its coaching team as part of its diversity initiative along with new squash coach Ali Jafari.
Tipton Sports Academy tennis operations officer Lee Marks said: "Our junior and mini tennis sessions are booming at the moment following the start back after Covid lockdowns and we are starting to see more inquiries this week, which must be linked to the amazing success of Emma Raducanu at the US Open."
Walsall Tennis Club membership secretary Beate Pesian said: "Emma Raducanu's win is the best thing that's happened for everyone for a long time. She's absolutely great.
"Our members follow the tennis tournaments and she is someone who has emerged from nowhere to becoming so successful. She is a great inspiration and her win will really help the tennis community.
"At our club we had to move out of our home of more than a century three years ago. We need help from somewhere to find a new home or we can't hone young talent. Emma would never have got to the top of the game if she didn't have her local club in Kent behind her, providing a base with courts to practise on.
"You can't develop champions just by providing courts in public parks, you need proper infrastructure such as the club facilities, coaching staff and good support. Politicians need to do something about this.
"Councils and the LTA(Lawn Tennis Association) need to be working closely with grassroots club members on providing better facilities for the sport."
The club was forced to move out of its former Birmingham Road home in 2018 and has since been using sites in Pelsall and Tipton among others for coaching and home matches. It competes in the Staffordshire League and the Birmingham Spring League.
Players have also been flocking to Wolverhampton's Albert Lawn Tennis Club, in Tettenhall, since last weekend.
Club chairman John Nabbs said: "On Monday alone we had five new enquiries and a total of 10 all week, all from young girls. This is very unusual.
"I've never seen so many players turn up in such numbers for a long time."
"Hopefully, the excitement and enthusiasm generated by Radacanu’s amazing win will continue to inspire tennis players long into the future," he added.
