Emma Radacanu

[fbg40]

Think I've spelled her name correctly. MBE for this young lady - for winning one Grand Slam tournament ?? If that is the case, then surely Kevin Sinfield deserves to be knighted !!
FBG40

[youngmafbog]

Nah, she's a stunner Kevin isnt :-)

[bhg481]

A bit of a joke really; it throws the whole honours system into disrepute.

[jim360]

I really don't see how a tennis player getting an MBE "throws the whole system into disrepute, as opposed to, say, resignation honours giving awards to a PM's cronies, or the cash for honours scandal, etc etc.

MBE is only entry-level honours anyway, and it is worth point out that Emma Raducanu didn't "win one grand Slam tournament", so much as "become the first player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier", and incidentally she's also the fastest Slam winner in terms of main draw appearances, winning on only her second attempt -- the previous record was four.

[bhg481]

OK Jim, let's say it helps to throw etc.
There are people who earn their honours and those that don't.

[TheChair]

The Grand Slam is not one single tournament. It means to win four different tournaments in the same year.

[anneasquith]

Next year you will be asking….. who ?

[Peter Pedant]

"become the first player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier",

I thought macenroe did that - had to play 24 matches etc

[jourdain2]

Forgetting Radacanu - Kev Sinfield deserves a knighthood. He's worked wonders in publicising MND and raising money for research and a centre. All in the name of friendship for Rob Burrows.
I have followed Rugby League for many years now and to see Kevin, Rob and Jamie working together on the pitch was wonderful. That they are still working together is inspiring!
I may have got a bit carried away, but the whole thing moves me to tears.

[Boto]

And how many has she won since then?

[Mozz71]

Jim - "become the first player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam as a qualifier"

You forgot to add the "since Boris Becker at Wimbledon in 1985" bit.

[jim360]

No I didn't. Becker was merely unseeded, not a qualifier. At the time he was ranked 20th, so hardly even an unknown quantity -- although this isn't to minimise his achievement of winning at only 17.

Raducanu is the only person to reach the final of a Slam as a Qualifier, let alone win one. It's a special achievement.

[jim360]

Incidentally, I don't object to the idea that Kevin Sinfield has been overlooked. But I don't think it should be a binary choice between the two. Emma Raducanu deserves her MBE for, as I say, an unprecedented achievement across the entire sport. No doubt plenty of sportspeople in more niche sports are unfairly overlooked, but that's hardly Emma's fault.

Also, it's not exactly uncommon to refer to the four Major tournaments as "Slams" or "Grand Slams". Granted, "THE Grand Slam" is winning all four, but you could think of it as short for "Grand Slam Event", ie an event that you need to win in order to complete the Grand Slam. Words or phrases can have multiple meanings, it's easy enough to distinguish them by context.

[Mozz71]

Fair dos, my mistake.

[davebro]

who would want a bloody MBE anyway?

[Cloverjo]

I think honours for sportspeople are a bit ridiculous. As are honours for politicians’ cronies. And actors, come to that.
I don’t think Emma is more undeserving of her award than anyone else.
Look at all the gongs handed out to cricketers when England won the Ashes in 2005.

[douglas9401]

"who would want a bloody MBE anyway?"

Marcus Rashford of sainted name.

[Cloverjo]

And David Beckham thinks he deserves a knighthood, apparently. Ha ha

[douglas9401]

Pardon me, I shoud have given his full title: RASHFOOOORD!!!!!

[fbg40]

The Chair
I didn't say "THE GRAND SLAM", I said one Grand Slam tournament - not the same thing.
FBG40