Which WTA player will make their mark and become a household name at this year’s US Open?

The US Open has become something of a good luck charm for many aspiring female tennis players over the years. Given the event is arguably the most publicised tennis event of the year  players often can rise from obscurity with the general public, to becoming a household name and generating millions of dollars in endorsements along the way. Over the past 4 years, players such as Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu have recently become hugely familiar faces, prompting a slurry of advertisement deals and increased income.

For instance, prior to her run at the US Open, Emma Raducanu was playing ITF matches in obscure towns with almost no coverage or interest from the general public. Winning the US Open, however, was almost akin to winning the endorsement lottery, with major brands racing to get her signature as an ambassador to their company. Now with almost 20 million dollars in earnings in the past year, Raducanu has genuinely become set for life, almost to the point of acrruing generational wealth, in the space of 12 months.

Similarly, despite results of the past year not quite living up the hype that she would have wanted, Raducanu can hold her head high knowing that she won at the end of the day. Many pundits of the game have even in recent times floated the idea that Raducanu was only a ‘one slam wonder’. A one slam wonder is a player who has been unable to replicate their previous results at other tournaments. Nevertheless, it is still far too early to make such sweeping statements, given she has her whole career ahead of her ( touch wood).

In terms of this year’s US Open, no particular player truly comes to mind as having had a standout summer. However, this is completely normal, and does not predict anything in the WTA leading into a major tournament. Despite all this, there are several names which come to mind as genuine chances of winning the US Open. One of those names is Camilla Osorio, a player from Colombia who experienced an unbelievable junior career, and has slowly but surely become a tougher opponent. With wins against players such as Daria Katsakina to her name, Osorio has become something of a dark horse in recent times.

However, she is almost completely unknown to the general public. That could change however, if her fortunes change in New York. They say New York is the place to make your dreams happen. Can Camilla pull off the unthinkable? In all fairness, Raducanu managed to win the US Open despite being a qualifier, and starting 2021 ranked in the 300s.

All in all, over the past 4 years, past US Open champions often have been afforded a major publicity boost (in terms of the general public knowing their name) in the form of  sponsorships and bigger opportunities in life. So, at this year’s US Open, what WTA player do you think will become a household name?