Emma Raducanu has vowed to “put it on the line” on Wednesday when she faces Belgium’s Elise Mertens in round two at Wimbledon.
Raducanu, 21, skipped the clay-court French Open to focus on being fit and ready for the British grass season and, so far, that decision looks to have paid dividends.
The Briton reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open and followed that with a run to the quarter-finals at Eastbourne, including a win over American world number five Jessica Pegula.
She was scheduled to begin her Wimbledon campaign against 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova but the Russian withdrew on Monday morning.
Instead, Raducanu went up against lucky loser Renata Zarazua and, having struggled through the first set, really found her rhythm in the second to reach round two with a 7-6 (7-0) 6-3 victory on Centre Court.
Raducanu has appeared at six Grand Slam events since lifting the US Open title in 2021 but has not managed to go beyond the second round.
“Results-wise I have no expectations,” said Raducanu, who has endured a tough couple of years with wrist and ankle injuries.
“I just have expectations of myself to really put myself on the line on the court and fight and not let any frustrations get to me.”
Raducanu is last up on Court One on Wednesday against 2018 Australian Open semi-finalist Mertens.
2024-07-02 21:36:18
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