Emma Raducanu tipped for 'amazing' Wimbledon for three key reasons
Emma Raducanu has been tipped to make an impact on her return to Wimbledon after impressing Laura Robson at the Nottingham Open.
Raducanu is set to play at Wimbledon for the first time in two years after being granted a wildcard by the All England Lawn Tennis Club. The 21-year-old is on the comeback after missing last year's tournament due to wrist and ankle surgeries.
The 2021 US Open champion has been through some difficult spells following her injury lay-offs and said in April she was "mentally and emotionally exhausted". But, speaking before competing at Eastbourne in the run-up to Wimbledon, Raducanu revealed she had “rekindled the love of tennis” and that shone through for Robson at the previous tournament.
Robson is the tournament director at the Nottingham Open, where Raducanu reached the semi-finals before losing to fellow Brit Katie Boulter on June 15. The 30-year-old Olympic silver medalist believes there are lots of promising signs for Raducanu coming into Wimbledon.
“I was so impressed by how she was playing at Nottingham,” Robson told Mirror Sport while speaking on behalf of the Vodafone Play Your Way to Wimbledon campaign. “The match against Katie Boulter in the semis was one of the best matches of the entire week. There was a lot of pressure on both of them to deliver some good tennis, with the match-up – playing another Brit is always difficult.
“But she really impressed me, she was hitting the ball so cleanly and her attitude was great. She wanted to get straight back out on the court after her first-round win which I was so encouraged by, because when someone is in that mode of just wanting to be out there and to maximise their time on the court, that’s great to see.
Emma Raducanu celebrates
“I think Emma is going to have an amazing Wimbledon, but still, for me, the results don’t matter as much. She’s still on the journey back and has been out with so many injuries in the last year, so if she’s just able to play consistently then the results will inevitably come because she’s a great player.”
Raducanu decided to skip the French Open and has also rejected the chance to represent Team GB at the Paris Olympics in order to focus on the grass-court season. Asked if fans needed to temper their expectations due to the difficulty of finding top form after injury, Robson said: “No, I think you can be excited – I’m excited about all the Brits going into Wimbledon and the fact that everyone is playing really well.
Laura Robson is supporting Vodafone's Play Your Way to Wimbledon scheme
"You’ve got Jack [Draper], Katie and Emma – all these names. It’s normal to feel excited and I’m excited for them. I’m just wanting them to play good tennis – it’s not so much about results because they’re all playing so well at the moment that if they get out there and deliver a good performance then they’ve got a great chance against anyone.
“I would say the same thing for Emma as I would for Katie. It’s not like she’s going in thinking she’s not going to do well, you need to feel like you can win a couple of matches.”
Vodafone, Official Connectivity Partner of Wimbledon, is working with Laura Robson to inspire the next generation of tennis players through Play Your Way To Wimbledon.