Raducanu upset the odds of becoming the first-place finisher to win a grand slam during the Open era on Saturday, beating fellow teenage Leylah Fernandez in the final at Flushing Meadows.
His impressive performances in New York came off the back of a promising debut at Wimbledon just two months earlier, where he reached the fourth round before retiring with “difficulty breathing.”
“Totally unexpected. I never thought it would happen in my life to see an 18- and 19-year-old do it,” McEnroe told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, speaking of the final for all teens at the U.S. Open.
“I think the women’s game is more open than it has ever been, so it’s a sign that there are more players who think they have a chance.
“I can’t imagine anyone in it [Raducanu] field expected this. Winning the American Open without losing a set is crazy. She’s a tremendous athlete, she looks like a fantastic kid. “
Wimbledon controversy
After Raducanu’s withdrawal from Wimbledon, McEnroe was criticized for saying the situation had become “too much” for her.
At the time, it was unclear what caused the young woman to stop playing, but she later said that “the whole experience took hold of me” and that she began to “breathe heavily and feel dizzy” after several ” super intense concentrations “.
McEnroe received the reaction from people who said he was questioning the young man’s mental strength, but insists he never wanted to cause offense and only wanted to support the innovative star.
“I wanted to say exactly what I said,” he added. “I tried to relate it in a small way to my experience when I went to Wimbledon also at 18 and managed to qualify as Emma did.
“I played Jimmy Connors, I hadn’t been to Center Court. I remember my leg was shaking and I was totally overwhelmed by the experience and almost glad I didn’t win.
“There’s a lot of great progress, but there’s also pressure that you put on yourself and expectations that others put on you.
“Compared to a lot of other things I’ve said in the past, I mean for me it was as vanilla as it was at the time. I gave it a lot of support, I thought, at the time.”
The seven-time grand slam winner, who was recognized for his mid-game antics, says he hopes Raducanu can cope with the new focus of his career.
The teenager was barely known outside of tennis before this year, but is now one of the biggest stars in the game.
“I don’t think I can do it better than her [at the U.S. Open]“It’s crazy that he’s been able to do that,” McEnroe added.
“Of course, the pressure comes with that, the expectation comes with that. I’m sure he hopes to earn a lot more to move forward.”