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How Emma Raducanu was discovered by a Driver at 8years old
How Emma Raducanu was discovered by a Driver at 8years old
Emma Raducanu’s New York miracle represents a transformational moment for tennis in Britain. Or, at least, it should do – as long as the Lawn Tennis Association manages to harness her extraordinary marketability.
However, there is a beginning to every journey in life.
No grand-slam nation has come up with a surefire method for success, although the Czech women and Italian men offer a glimpse of what can be achieved. In Britain’s case, meanwhile, Raducanu’s New York miracle has provided posthumous vindication for “Talent ID” – a controversial development pathway established by Draper soon after his appointment in 2006.
Clipboard-wielding coaches tested children as young as eight on various physical and technical metrics, before forwarding the highest-scoring kids into a system of competition based around colored balls. They started on red squishy things the size of a small grapefruit and then worked their way through orange and green before reaching the standard yellow.
Talent ID was bold and innovative. Other governing bodies around the world sent scouts over to see what the LTA were doing. At the same time, though, it created massive ill-feeling within the British junior game. Junior tennis is always characterised by a fair amount of jealousy and dissatisfaction, such are the often unrealistic expectations that tennis parents have of their children, but this was now compounded by the extra sin of novelty.
How Emma Raducanu was discovered by a Driver at 8years old
Making predictions at the age of eight is a challenging business. One common objection was that the chosen ones. – who received so-called matrix funding based on their ranking and results. – were often natural athletes who lacked competitive fire, and thus consistently lost junior matches to more dogged and driven characters.
But Talent ID could have been made for Raducanu. She was monstrously good at every aspect of it. Mark Hayden, who now works as the LTA’s National Pathway. Coach for the South East, remembers her performing a fan drill, which requires the child to pick up balls laid out in a pattern around her as quickly as possible.
“Her balance, her change of direction, her foot-speed – it was on a different level,” said Hayden. “Let’s say that the other kids were doing it in 18 seconds. She would take 16 and a half.”
One coach who worked at Bromley Tennis Centre remembers. Raducanu chewing opponents up with the green ball at the age of eight or nine.
“The green ball is a bit weird because you move up to a full-sized court after orange mini-tennis on a half-court. It plays very dead, like an ordinary ball that has had the stuffing knocked out of it. And that can favor people who play horrible, hacky tennis. Not in Emma’s case, though. She was outstanding because she covered the big court so well. Which most of the young kids couldn’t do.
I was watching her at the US Open thinking. ‘She is such a good front-runner,’ and then I realized that that is what she is used to doing. She has been slaying people from an early age.”
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Mick Schumacher coming to America. Mercedes F1 reserve linked with exciting new project
With the door seemingly closing for Mick Schumacher to join the F1 2025 grid, the Mercedes reserve is being linked with a move across the pond.
Schumacher spent two years on the Formula 1 grid with Haas off the back of winning the Formula 2 title, but was dropped at the end of 2022 as Haas opted to bring in veteran presence Nico Hulkenberg.
Schumacher has looked outside of Formula 1 as part of his 2024 racing programme, balancing his Mercedes reserve duties with the World Endurance Championship as part of the Alpine team, but now he is being linked with a new project over in the United States.
Prema Racing, a team which has achieved vast success in the junior categories – including Schumacher’s F2 title which was claimed with the Italian team – has announced that it will join the IndyCar series in 2025, with speculation now swirling that a Schumacher reunion is on the cards.
Auto Hebdo’s Gonzalo Forbes is widely reported to have made the claim that Schumacher could join Prema’s IndyCar charge, the French publication stating that Prema wants an experienced IndyCar racer and a fresh face from the European scene to form their line-up.
“He has never hidden his ambition to return to single-seaters,” Gonzalo Forbes reported. “The German could unite with the [team boss Rene] Rosin clan again for a possible return to service in IndyCar in 2025.”
For Schumacher, the ambitions to race in F1 again have not fizzled out, but his former team boss at Haas Guenther Steiner feels that if Schumacher does not land a seat for 2025, then his chances of a comeback are likely over.
He told German publication BILD: “If it doesn’t work out next year, it will probably never work out again.
“He has to perform well in the WEC this season – then it can be a stepping stone.
“If he doesn’t race in Formula 1 next year, it will be three years without a cockpit.
“Sure, he was there for two years and is part of the new generation – but what use is that then? It would be extremely difficult if he was completely out for three years.”
Mercedes do have an F1 2025 seat up for grabs with Lewis Hamilton heading for Ferrari, though Schumacher has not been name-dropped among contenders such as Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
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“We use it as a tool” – Bubba Wallace joins owner Denny Hamlin in NASCAR latest rational decision
“We use it as a tool” – Bubba Wallace joins owner Denny Hamlin in NASCAR latest rational decision
Ahead of the qualifying in Talladega, Bubba Wallace reacted to NASCAR’s divisive decision to take down the old pylon board. The reason why the governing body decided to take it down was because it was old, so fans could focus more on the big screens facing the grandstand to be informed.
However, Wallace believes that the pylon board served a bigger purpose than just giving information. When asked about his thoughts on this decision from NASCAR, the #23 driver said that even though he didn’t find himself looking for the board last weekend, it’s still important for them and the fans.
“I mean, we use it as a tool to see what we’re running, how many laps we’ve left and gives fans something to … you see qualifying, that number, your favorite driver’s number jumps to the top. I think it’s exciting,” Wallace said.
Before Wallace, it was his boss Denny Hamlin who took to his social media account to react to NASCAR deciding to take away the scoring pylon board at Talladega.
Reacting to a post by journalist Bob Pockrass, Hamlin wrote:
“Well upgrade it then, like every other sporting facility in the world is doing. No-one is taking visual displays away.”
Being one of the most unpredictable racetracks in NASCAR where a driver’s fortunes can change within seconds, Talladega poses a interesting challenge for drivers in terms of how they approach the
race.
For Bubba Wallace, who has won on this racetrack, it’s wise to not get too excited.
“It’s more so just coming in with a calm mindset, just how chaotic it can get, right? Not trying to overdo it, not trying to overstep it, not trying to be a hero. Like I’ve wrecked on lap 10 with a fast car back at the #43. So I know how it feels to be too confident,” Wallace said.
He insisted that for Sunday’s race, he’s trying to come in and not get “too excited.” Previously Wallace has, apart from his historic first win in 2021, zero finishes inside the top-10 and six inside the top-20 at Talladega.
However, despite his past record on the racetrack, Wallace could be a contender to win the upcoming race. The start to the 2024 season has been the best he has ever had in his Cup career, with three finishes inside the top-five and four inside the top-10. He stands ninth on the
points tally.
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Mercedes boss “guilty of talking Kimi Antonelli up too much” after a poor start for the potential Lewis Hamilton replacement
Mercedes boss “guilty of talking Kimi Antonelli up too much” after a poor start for the potential Lewis Hamilton replacement
Toto Wolff feels ‘guilty’ about hyping up Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli after the latter’s poor F2 debut. The Mercedes team principal has also stated that he is in no hurry to find Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.
Antonelli recently started his F2 career with PREMA, alongside Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman. Unfortunately, they suffered badly during both the Sprint and Feature races at Sakhir. Though Antonelli finished ahead of Bearman in both races, he was still far below expectations, especially considering the team’s prowess in the feeder series.
Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the Mercedes team boss stated that a top F2 team like PREMA should not be finishing in the second half of the grid.
“Yeah, a championship-winning team 17th and 18th in Formula 2, that’s not at all where they should be. I think you can look against a Toto Wolff later admitted feeling guilty for heavily ‘talking up’ Kimi
Antonelli as a potential Lewis Hamilton replacement.
He also declared that he is in no hurry to find a new driver for Mercedes team-mate as one of the comparisons. I think Ollie Bearman is a top driver,” Wolff said
“But I think, like I’ve always said, I’m almost guilty of talking [Antonelli] up too much. We’ll see how the next few races pan out. I’m in no hurry for us to take a decision on drivers. I’ve been rushed in a hurry by Lewis, so this time around I’m going to take it easy and evaluating the market.”
After Lewis Hamilton’s shocking move to Ferrari was announced, many drivers has emerged as his replacement, including Kimi Antonelli.
F1 pundit Alex Jacques dismissed suggestions that Kimi Antonelli could replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes after the latter moves to Ferrari in 2025.
Speaking on the Feeder Series podcast, Jacques stated that the Italian youngster would have to dominate the F2 Championship in 2024 to have a small chance of making it to F1 with Mercedes.
“Antonelli would have to completely dominate the [F2] championship to have a chance of starting the 2025 season in that Mercedes team. I just don’t see Wolff putting someone, no matter how good they are, in that situation,” said the F1 pundit.
“You need something to lift that team. That’s either going to have to be a massive name of huge calibre or a mega talent, but I still don’t see Antonelli starting [the season with Mercedes],” added Jacques.
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Mick Schumacher coming to America. Mercedes F1 reserve linked with exciting new project
“We use it as a tool” – Bubba Wallace joins owner Denny Hamlin in NASCAR latest rational decision
