December 2021

Emma Raducanu Named BBC Sports Personality Of The Year 2021

This year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year is teenage tennis sensation Emma Raducanu. The 19-year-old US Open champion, currently ranked British number one, is the first female tennis player to win Sports Personality of the Year since Virginia Wade took the honours in 1977- the last British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Earlier this year, having yet to win a match on the regular WTA Tour, Raducanu caught the world's attention when she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam at the US Open, after reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon. She ends 2021 ranked 19th in the world, marking a spectacular rise from 343 at the beginning of the year.

Broadcast live from dock10 studios at Media City, Salford, this year's event, presented by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, saw diver Tom Daley and swimmer Adam Peater placed second and third respectively following a public vote. Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling, boxer Tyson Fury, and Great Britain's most successful Paralympian Sarah Storey were also shortlisted for the main award.

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