"It's tough but she will be fine" says Fernando Gonzalez about Emma Raducanu's newfound superstar status

The curiosity around Emma Raducanu is still going strong even months after the Brit won her maiden Grand Slam trophy at the 2021 US Open. It's hard to understand why as she became the first qualifier to win a grand slam trophy in the Open Era and considering the sensational way in which she did it it's only natural for people to still be intrigued about the youngster.

Speaking about the Champions Tour event in London, where both Raducanu and Gonzalez will play, the Chilean said:

“She will need a few months to adapt to everything now. To be the US Open champion is a lot for her to take in when you consider she was ranked at 150 before that event started and now she is the player everyone talks about. I saw some moments of Raducanu’s first qualifying round at the US Open and there are like five people watching. Then two and a half weeks later, she is winning the big prize money and she is the champion in front of a full crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium and all around the world knows about her. It is an amazing story."

It truly is an amazing story and it's quite a lot to take in. Her play after the triumph has been very shaky with mostly defeats surrounded by a couple of wins. Gonzalez understands that she will need time in order to fully develop as a player as she is yet to play a full pro season on the Tour. He thinks that she will be fine though:

“We have to give her some time because clearly she is a great player with a great mentality and she will have a big career. To reach a Grand Slam final so early in your career and play such a great match against a player from your own generation was tough, but she won. Now everyone is looking at her, expecting her to do something special and the other players want to beat her. That can be tough, but she is going to be fine.”