A year ago, as Wimbledon kicked off, a few tennis fans spotted Emma Raducanu at the All England Club. She made brief appearances for sponsorship obligations, shaking hands and engaging with fans, but otherwise had no involvement in the 2023 tournament. Following surgeries on both wrists and an ankle in April, Raducanu was sidelined for the rest of the season. Her injuries left her struggling with everyday tasks, relying on her mother for help, making her absence from Wimbledon even more painful despite her proximity to the event.
Reflecting on that time, Raducanu said, “I was horrible. Like, it was horrible! I’m just so grateful to be on the other side of it. I think going there was really rubbing salt into the wound but I guess it was part of my obligations to do it and I’m just very happy to be actually playing.”
Now, a year later, the 21-year-old returns to Wimbledon, seemingly having learned valuable lessons from her time away. She feels hungrier and has gained a new perspective after being away from the game for so long. Notably, she now views her 2021 US Open win as a significant achievement rather than focusing on its negative aspects.
“I think it’s refreshing for me, it’s less about missing out, it’s more about, OK, I’m just happy to play. Because I feel like before I would look at the US Open in more of a negative light whereas now I’m like, OK, that was insane. Now I can just play and keep going, and I feel lighter in myself, which is great, and I think in the last two weeks it’s been a big shift in just my attitude, my everyday and I’m just enjoying life, enjoying tennis a lot more.”
This positive mindset has yielded results during the grass-court season. Raducanu reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open, losing to eventual champion Katie Boulter, and in Eastbourne, she defeated Sloane Stephens and secured her first top-10 win by overcoming Jessica Pegula in three sets.
However, her loss to Daria Kasatkina on Thursday highlighted areas for improvement. Raducanu struggled with the windy conditions and maintaining her performance, showing the need for more match play to build consistency and adaptability.
At Wimbledon, she faces a tough first-round match against 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, a strong grass-court player who reached the fourth round last year. Raducanu heads into the tournament ready for a challenge and hopes the audience will see her enjoyment on the court.
“I just really want them to see that I’m putting my personality on the court, my character, being bubbly, happy, energetic. I think you can really tell the difference, especially with me, when I’m in a good place compared to when I’m struggling a little bit more with confidence or something.
“And now I want them to see I’m happy – certain engagement in the points in big moments, like I remember 2021 was a prime example. I won the point, I thought it was a practice, I dropped my racket and I was like, how did that fly out of my hand? But just moments like that, I’m just really playing the game and enjoying the sport.”
Emma Raducanu ‘Extremely Confident’ for Wimbledon as First-Round Opponent Announced
Emma Raducanu is optimistic about her performance at Wimbledon next week, despite her recent exit in Eastbourne on Thursday.
Raducanu struggled with the windy conditions during her quarter-final match against Daria Kasatkina, who is ranked 14th in the world. This followed Raducanu’s impressive victory over world No. 5 Jessica Pegula in the previous round.
After her 6-2, 6-2 loss to Kasatkina, Raducanu remained positive about her upcoming Wimbledon campaign. She stated, “I feel good. I think I should be very confident. I believe I deserve to be in this position because I’ve been training hard and working for it.”
Raducanu sees the loss as an opportunity to rest and then train at Wimbledon, viewing it as a positive spin on the situation. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m happy to be back in London. It’s where I call home,” she added.
In her opening match at Wimbledon, Raducanu will face No. 22 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who reached the fourth round last year. Despite the challenges she faced in Eastbourne, Raducanu is committed to maintaining her aggressive playing style on grass.
“I always want to live and die by my strike, and that’s helped me in many situations,” Raducanu said. “The biggest win for me is that I was able to play three matches back-to-back. Physically, I felt fine. That’s a big positive.”
In other Wimbledon women’s singles matches, Katie Boulter, seeded for her home Grand Slam for the first time, will compete against Tatjana Maria, who reached the semi-finals in 2022. British players Harriet Dart, Fran Jones, and Heather Watson also have their opening matches scheduled against Bai Zhuoxuan, Petra Martic, and Greet Minnen, respectively.
