Emma Raducanu took inspiration from England’s narrow escape at Euro 2024 by “winning ugly” in her opening match at Wimbledon. The 21-year-old had a slice of good fortune when her scheduled opponent, 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, withdrew on Monday morning because of illness. Her replacement, Mexican lucky loser Renata Zarazua, appeared a much kinder prospect on paper but the world number 98 is a tricky player and Raducanu survived some difficult moments in a 7-6 (0) 6-3 victory on Centre Court.
In her on-court interview, Raducanu referenced England’s scrappy win over Slovakia in Germany, saying: “Like watching the football last night, winning ugly – it all counts.” Raducanu knows what it is like to face intense scrutiny and expectation, and she added in her press conference: “Last night, I had a feeling that they would still turn it around. “The people I was watching with were like, ‘I don’t know’.
It was getting to the 93rd minute. (I said), ‘I have a feeling, I have a feeling’. Then Jude (Bellingham) hit that insane goal.
“When I’m watching, I’m listening to the commentary, I can almost picture it. It’s just the way the story flips, depending on how the result is going. Raducanu roars through 👊 @EmmaRaducanu moves on to the 2R, beating Renata Zarazua 7-6(0), 6-3 #Wimbledon pic.
twitter.com/WeXU9ouMts — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2024 “For sure, I sympathise with the players who are being told they need to play a lot better, n.
