Emma Raducanu wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021

Emma Raducanu has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, rounding off an incredible year where she became the first British women in 44 years to win a Grand Slam singles title at the U.S. Open.

“Thank you, it’s such an honour just to be amongst these nominees. Congrats to you and all your achievements,” Raducanu said after winning the award. “I’m really happy with this, I’ve watched Sports Personality of the Year growing up and it’s an honour to be amongst those past winners.

The tennis star won the prestigious gong ahead of Tom Daley in second place, and Adam Peaty in third. The other nominees were boxer Tyson Fury, footballer Raheem Sterling and Para-cyclist Dame Sarah Storey.

Raducanu becomes the first first female tennis player to win the award since Virginia Wade in 1977.

The US Open champion received the award in quarantine in Abu Dhabi, where she is recovering from Covid-19.

Collecting her prize remotely, Raducanu wheeled the camera-shaped trophy from beneath her Zoom screen in celebration.

Raducanu was strong favourite for the award from the moment she emerged from qualifying to storm through to the latter stages of competition at Flushing Meadow in September. Winning the US Open title in a thrilling final against fellow teenager Leylah Fernandez only cemented the prospect. It was the kind of sporting fairytale that comes around once in a generation.

Due to her phenomenal exploits on the court, Raducanu became the British number one and is now inside the world’s top 20.