Former tennis star claims Emma Raducanu will benefit from decline of Serena Williams

Former tennis player Leif Shiras has claimed Emma Raducanu will benefit from Serena Williams’s fall down the world rankings.

Shiras, who reached a career-high world ranking of 31st, became a tennis journalist following his retirement in 1990.

In an interview with Sky Sports, the 62-year-old revealed he thought Raducanu would be able to win multiple Grand Slams during her career.

“I think there are a lot of players who can be favoured at Majors and there’s no reason why Emma can’t do the same,” he said.

“Is it going to be a rough road? Yes, it will be, because there’s a lot of experienced players and they all want to get a piece of the action, it’s going to be competitive.

“But she’s done it before, I think she has a taste of what she can do and the game is not dominated as much by Serena Williams at the top of the game.

Shiras added: “Ashleigh Barty is playing dominant tennis to some degree, yes, but I think it’s a different level from what Serena delivered.

“I do think there are opportunities for a number of women, including Emma, to win a second Major.”

Raducanu earned an unexpected victory at the US Open in September, becoming the first ever qualifier, male or female, to earn a Grand Slam title.

She won 10 games in a row without dropping a set, and became the first female British tennis player to claim a major since Virginia Wade in 1977.

Shiras revealed the teenager had soared in popularity in the United States, but urged fans to be patient with her, despite her world number 13 ranking.

“I know in the States we’ve embraced her in a big way, I think she’s a sensation and that’s the sense I get from everyone around me,” he said.

“They’re always asking about Emma: ‘What is she up to? Where is she playing next?’. [But] I