Raducanu back at Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu strides onto the grasscourts of Wimbledon today as the British No 1, a world away from the wide-eyed teenager who burst onto the scene at the All England Club four years ago.
Raducanu faces 17-year-old British, wildcard Mingge Xu, who will be making her own Grand Slam debut this year.
“It’s good to see a new generation, it keeps us on our toes. It keeps us hungry to improve. It’s just healthy competition between all of us,” Raducanu said.
The intervening years have been more of a cautionary tale, as injuries and the constant changing of coaches prevented the 22-year-old from building on that early success.
A recent back injury also forced her to withdraw from the Berlin Open and Raducanu arrives at Wimbledon with a question mark over her physical condition, saying her back is not yet at 100 per cent.
Once the darling of British expectations, Raducanu now seeks to manage them carefully, speaking with the hard-earned wisdom of someone who has experienced both the summit and the struggle of professional tennis.
While most top seeds fine-tuned their game on Wimbledon’s pristine practice courts this week, Taylor Fritz was busy collecting silverware on England’s south coast, a strategy the American hopes could finally unlock his Grand Slam potential.
The ninth seed arrives at the All England Club as the in-form player on grass having claimed two titles, beating Alexander Zverev on his home turf to lift the Stuttgart Open before he defended his Eastbourne Open title on Saturday.
Despite enjoying fourth-seed status at both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, the 27-year-old American failed to reach the second week at both majors.
But where some players might see risks related to fatigue with such a tight turnaround, Fritz sees a competitive advantage.
–AFP
