Britain's Emma Raducanu celebrates with the trophy after winning the 2021 US Open Tennis tournament women's final match against Canada's Leylah Fernandez at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on Sept 11, 2021. (TIMOTHY A CLARY / AFP)

LONDON - The British government has announced a US$40.7 million package to refurbish 4,500 public tennis courts in deprived areas following the success of 18-year-old Emma Raducanu.

Raducanu, winner of the US Open women's singles last month, became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade in 1977, with the final watched by millions of television viewers in Britain.

The 18-year-old was also applauded by Chinese netizens impressed by her multicultural background and pride in her half-Chinese background.

Also in this year's US Open, Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett became the first all-British pairing to complete the Grand Slam by winning the men's wheelchair doubles final, and Joe Salisbury delivered "double-doubles" wins in both the men's and mixed events.

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Britain's Emma Raducanu hits a return to Canada's Leylah Fernandez during their 2021 US Open Tennis tournament women's final match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on Sept 11, 2021. (TIMOTHY A CLARY / AFP)

The British government has allocated US$30 million and the Lawn Tennis Association, organisers of the annual Wimbledon event, US$10.7 million to pay for the refurbishment of public tennis courts.

The aim is to support a new generation of players to take up the sport in the most deprived areas of the country. Hundreds of the targeted tennis courts are in poor or unplayable conditions.

"It is designed to open up the sport to people of all backgrounds, support the government's commitment to levelling up sports provision across the nation, and provide greater opportunities for everyone to follow the Chief Medical Officer's guidance on physical activity. The guidance makes clear that children should aim to carry out 60 minutes of physical activity a day, and adults 2.5 hours a week," read a media release by UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport on Sunday.