Raducanu advising Amazon on massive cash injection to aid British women’s tennis

US Open champion Emma Raducanu is advising Amazon Prime on a project which will help young female tennis stars follow in her footsteps.

The world-famous streaming service are preparing a multi-million pound cash injection to try and unearth the next generation of women's players.

Last month, following Raducanu's sensational run to the final at Flushing Meadows, Amazon Prime struck a deal with Channel 4 which allowed her match with Leylah Fernandez to be shown free-to-air.

Channel 4 were reported to have paid a seven-figure sum to secure the rights, and then boasted viewing figures of more than 7.4 million as the British teenager notched a famous straight sets victory.

Amazon pledged at the time the money raised from the deal would go back into the sport and now Alex Green, managing director of Prime Video Sport in Europe, said Raducanu had expressed desire about playing an integral role in deciding how the cash will be used.

Green said: "It's early days, but we want to make the biggest difference we can – particularly to young women's tennis in this country."

When asked if he felt the money could raise the prospect of finding a player to emulate the 18-year-old star, he added: "We'd love to. It's so important to have these figures that other girls and boys can look up to. She is an incredible talent so I'm sure we'll build from there.

"Now there is a whole new wave of interest in women's tennis in Britain, which is fantastic."

He added that the LTA would he heavily involved in discussions over how the funding is used.

The likes of Sir Andy Murray have criticised the authority in the past for not doing enough to support grassroots tennis, but Amazon Prime have pledged to make a "conscious decision about what makes the most difference".

Green said: "Who could have imagined that would happen? We aren’t taking any credit for it but we helped two young players and guess what? They are doing well now. I’d love to see a similar sort of difference that we can make moving with young talent."

He added that the major investment is a "moment that we can’t waste"."

"This is a rare, rare moment," he added, referring to the interest created by Raducanu's Grand Slam win.

"A rare moment globally, let alone for the UK. I think we do need to capitalise on it. It’s great to be able to contribute to that."

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