Emma Raducanu, a British teenager, made history today by becoming the first player to win a Major as a qualifier. In the final of the US Open 2021, she faced off against Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez, who was enjoying a fine week herself. Both athletes can leave the court with their heads held high.
Althought Raducanu was absolutely scintillating during the final, it is not as if it was smooth sailing all the way through. Well, at least physically. Raducanu had to take a medical time out sporadically at different points of time throughout the course of the match. It undoubtedly added even more drama and intrigue for all on-lookers.
Why did Raducanu need so many medical time-outs?
Her need for a time-out stemmed from the fact that she was bleeding. When a player is bleeding, the chair umpire is advised by the rulebook to stop play and request that the physiotherapist examine the player.
The rules state, “If a player is bleeding, the chair umpire must stop play as soon as possible, and the Sports Physiotherapist must be called to the court by the chair umpire for evaluation and treatment.
“The Sports Physiotherapist, in conjunction with the tournament doctor of appropriate, will evaluate the source of the bleeding and will request a medical timeout for treatment if necessary.”
From the Grand Slam rulebook on bleeding. Correct decision was made when Raducanu was bleeding. pic.twitter.com/sXoEcHhYTS
— Ravi Ubha (@raviubha) September 11, 2021
Emma Raducanu overcomes pain to win maiden US Open
The issue was eventually fixed, and Emma went on to win the US Open 2021, continuing her fairy-tale run. It was her first time in New York, and no one expected it to go so well.
Analyzing her game, she can hit the ball with great venom, and she’ll only get better with time as her young body continues to develop and get stronger.
It seems like the British tennis sensation has a rather bright future ahead of her.
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