Emma Raducanu has paid a heartfelt tribute to Mail Sport's legendary tennis correspondent Mike Dickson following his sudden death at the age of 59 while covering the Australian Open in Melbourne. The British tennis star, 21, spoke warmly about Dickson after her second-round defeat to China's Wang Yafan on Thursday, describing the news as 'taken aback' and reflecting on the fragility of life.
'I heard the news this morning and I was pretty taken aback to be honest. He was here two nights ago and everything was normal,' Raducanu said. 'It just shows how precious life is and it puts everything into perspective. I know I just came off a three set loss but in comparison to what happened, I was taken aback. Condolences, I'm sorry it's a very sad day for everyone and his family, so I really hope you can stay as strong as you can.'
Dickson, who spent 33 years with the Daily Mail and 38 years in journalism, was widely respected across the tennis world. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were among those who paid their respects, with Djokovic writing on X: 'Condolences to Mike Dickson family. Rest in Peace,' and Nadal adding: 'Very sorry to hear about the passing of Mike who has been following tennis all these years. My thoughts to his family and to our tennis family for the loss. Rest in peace.'
Former British No 1 Tim Henman, visibly emotional, said on Eurosport: 'It's incredibly sad that he passed away in Melbourne. He was a great friend of the tennis community and our thoughts go out to his family.' World No 4 Coco Gauff and former World No 1 Tracy Austin also expressed their condolences, while three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker described it as 'terrible news'.
Dickson, who was days away from his 60th birthday on January 27, was known as 'Mr Wimbledon' for his esteemed coverage of the tournament. The All England Club said: 'Mike covered so many of our Championships during his remarkable career in journalism and brought so many stories to so many sports fans around the world.' The Australian Open added: 'We are shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Mike, our long-standing colleague and friend.'
