Emma Raducanu must have breathed a sigh of relief when she discovered that her opponent in the first round of Wimbledon was not No.22 Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Russian, stopped by a virus, was forced to withdraw and her place on the Centre Court of the All England Club was taken by the lucky loser Mexican Renata Zarazua. Emma beat her rival in straight sets 7-6(0) 6-3, thus obtaining the eighth first round victory in nine Slams played. In the second round, the young British player will face the Belgian Elise Mertens, who defeated the Japanese Nao Hibino in three sets.
In the post-match media interview, the former US Open winnerexplained that every match she wins is something to celebrate, underlining how she is enjoying teh Championships atmosphere.
"I think every match I win should be celebrated a lot. For me, because I know how hard it is to win matches, how hard it is to get them. Now that I have a few wins under my belt, I cherish every single match because I know how hard it is to be on the other side. As far as results go, I have no expectations. I just have expectations to really put myself out there and fight and not let any expectations affect me. Again, I cherish every single match because I know how hard it is to be on the other side. As I said in the first press conference, I would be over the moon if I won my first round here. And I really am. I just feel the joy of being there, the joy of being part of the excitement. I'm really enjoying it," she said.
The media in the press room then asked Emma what she has learned from Andy Murray's example.
"The biggest thing for me was when he lost the Wimbledon final and came back a month later to win the Olympics. To go through six really tough rounds and then lose in the final, then play a month later and be in the final again, your mind goes into a dj vu scenario before you know it, like, okay, I made it to the final. It's very hard to rule that out. And that's kind of why I'm so grateful to have won the US Open. Because to get to the final and not win it, you're always going to be like, am I ever going to do this? For me, I've done it now. I guess you're just loving life," she explained.
We recall Raducanu, who today is No.168 in the WTA world ranking, is in the draw thanks to a wild card granted to her by the boards of the London Major. On the eve of the tournament, on media day, she said:
"I'm very grateful to have the opportunity and the wild card to compete here. I haven't had any injuries recently. I have a lot of confidence in my body. I've been able to play three high-level matches in the last week and I've come out of it physically unharmed. I think I'm in very good form. Last year I worked a lot at the end of the season to come back healthy and without any discomfort, and that's a work that I've continued this year, I feel very good physically, without a doubt my preparation for Wimbledon is working. I've found a good balance between the amount of matches I play and being physically fresh. The week in Eastbourne helped me to play high-level matches, get a great win in the second round and gain a lot of confidence. When you overdo it, it's very easy to get injured again. That's something I've learned. Obviously it's going to be difficult. I think she has some fantastic shots. On this surface, it's very dangerous. I expect a very difficult match. If I can get past the first round, I'll be over the moon."
