Emma Raducanu the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Winner in 2021

There was no big crowd in attendance for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Despite the absence of a studio audience, the BBC were able to invite 50 special guests, among them some of the shortlisted stars and their close family members.

One of the big names unable to attend, however, was Emma Raducanu. She was self-isolating in an Abu Dhabi hotel after testing positive for COVID-19 and had to accept her award via a live video feed. While not the most ideal way to receive such a prestigious award, it was still a great honour, particularly for someone aged just 19.

Let us take a look at how Raducanu landed the award at such a young age. She was the youngest winner since Michael Owen scooped the coveted prize back in 1998 for his exploits with Liverpool and at the France World Cup.

Image credit: Nuță Lucian, flickr.

The Full SPOTY 2021 Shortlist

Six stars make it onto the SPOTY shortlist and there is often one strong favourite among them. In 2021, the overwhelming favourite was Raducanu. Prior to the ceremony, the available bookmaker odds gave her a 95% implied probability of securing the win. Meanwhile, second favourite Tom Daley was given a mere 7% chance (due to the bookies’ cut the combined probabilities exceed 100%). While not seen as a close battle, Daley had enjoyed a fine year. The diver won Olympic gold (along with Matty Lee) in the men’s synchronized 10 metre platform and bronze in the men’s 10 metre platform.

We’re delighted to announce the nominees for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 are:

🌟 Tom Daley
🌟 Tyson Fury
🌟 Adam Peaty
🌟 Emma Raducanu
🌟 Raheem Sterling
🌟 Sarah Storey

Voting will open during the live #SPOTY show on BBC One on Sunday, 19 December.

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 13, 2021

Daley was joined by fellow Olympian, Adam Peaty, who secured gold in the men’s 100 metre breaststroke. In doing so he became first British swimmer to successfully defend an Olympic title. Peaty was also part of the 4 x 100m relay team that won mixed medley gold while posting a new world record time. Speaking of defending champions, Sarah Storey was also shortlisted after successfully defending three Paralympic cycling titles, becoming the most successful British Paralympian of all time in the process.

The remaining two names were Tyson Fury and Raheem Sterling. Fury had retained his WBC heavyweight belt following a gruelling third bout with the big-hitting Deontay Wilder, while Sterling was part of the England team that reached the finals of the delayed Euro 2020. Sterling’s three goals during the competition helped him secure a spot in UEFA’s team of the tournament.

Raducanu a Clear Winner

During an Olympic year (the 2020 Tokyo Olympics & Paralympics were postponed by a year due to the health restrictions), the SPOTY shortlist can be particularly strong. Despite this, across almost the entire year there was little doubt Raducanu was going to win this award. As early as January she was already a 1/12 favourite among the bookies following a shock win in the US Open. For those unfamiliar with betting, that means a £12 bet would return just £13!

Coming into the first Grand Slam event of the year, an 18-year-old Raducanu was ranked just 150th in the world. Simply qualifying was an achievement as she faced three matches even to make it to the main event. After booking her place though, the youngster seized the opportunity granted by her play and a kind draw, beating Stefanie Vögele, Zhang Shuai, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Shelby Rogers, Belinda Bencic, Maria Sakkari, and Leylah Fernandez on her way to an unlikely victory.

At no point would you have ever thought that this was a hugely inexperienced player making her US Open debut as she looked so dominant on the court. None of her seven opponents managed to take a set off her, making Raducanu the first US Champion since Serena Williams in 2014 not to drop a set. Tennis fans will know just how incredible a victory this was but for the unaware, let us emphasise what a stunning tournament performance Raducanu managed to produce.

Qualifiers will sometimes go on a decent run at a Grand Slam, but going all the way was previously unheard of. Raducanu was the first qualifier, across the men’s and women’s game, to win a Grand Slam tournament in the Open Era (1968 onwards). There were several other records Raducanu set on top of this:

• First British female US Open winner since Virginia Wade in 1968
• Youngest women’s Slam champion since Maria Sharapova in 2004
• Youngest Briton to win a Grand Slam title
• First British female US Open winner since Virginia Wade in 1968

Thanks to this victory, Raducanu moved up to 23rd in the world rankings, a huge jump of 332 places from the start of the year. She did not come close to another Grand Slam win in 2021 but managed to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon. In doing so, she became the youngest British woman to reach the Round of 16 of the tournament in the Open Era.

Raducanu Since SPOTY Win

After winning Sports Personality aged just 19, it will not surprise you to know that Raducanu is still active on the professional tennis circuit. She attracted much hype following her shock US Open victory but has so far struggled to live up to the expectations. Across Grand Slams, she has not been able to progress further than the fourth round at the time of writing. Her world ranking dropped to 299 in 2023, the lowest since her US Open win, but she does now find herself back in the top 60.

Part of the reasons for her struggles have been injuries as she has been dealt a number of major setbacks. In 2023 she had to have surgery on both wrists and her left ankle, while in 2024 she faced problems with her foot and her back. It is hoped that with the right team Raducanu can turn the corner and compete for more titles.

Tennis SPOTY Winners

Raducanu became only the fifth tennis player to win the SPOTY award when collecting her prize in 2021, reflecting the UK’s poor record in the sport. Most previous winners won a Grand Slam or Davis Cup in the year they claimed the award, the only exception being Greg Rusedski who was the US Open runner-up in 1997.