Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon: "Why should there be pressure? I'm 19"
Emma Raducanu (WTA No. 11) was eliminated in the second round at home in Wimbledon. But she doesn't want to know anything about pressure.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jun 30, 2022, 05:00 pm
You can now draw something like an interim conclusion. It's been a year since Emma Raducanu first became known to the general public: At the Wimbledon tournament in 2021, she played her way into the round of 16 when she was only 18, as number 338 in the tennis world.
The Brit is currently in 11th place in the WTA ranking - a rise of 327 places within one year, which must undoubtedly be considered a gigantic success. Oh yes: In the meantime she has also won a Grand Slam title, at the US Open (as number 150 in the world), from the qualification.
Success requires a new type of pressure, according to the general assumption - pressure to meet the now much higher expectations (and possibly advertising contracts), to repeat the successes and, at best, to top them. As I said, that's the general assumption (and question in almost every press conference, as Raducanu said yesterday).
However, Raducanu counters this with a different approach: Why on earth should she feel any pressure? She is only 19 years old, has won a Grand Slam tournament and nobody will take that away from her. "If anything, those who haven't made it are under pressure," she mused.
SkyWimbledon2022Article
Emma Raducanu: "It's all a learning process"
And it's the crux anyway: Raducanu hadn't won a WTA match before her US Open victory (and only played two), crazy actually. Since then, of course, things have not gone as you would expect from a Grand Slam tournament winner, with 11 wins and 15 losses, partly due to a few injuries. A balance that can be seen as satisfactory for a newcomer without a Grand Slam title.
According to Raducanu, since the French Open she has only been able to spend minimal time on the court because of a little ailment here and one there. "And that's what I have to focus on, getting my bodies physically ready to play tennis."
Raducanu is looking forward to the US Open
The questions about the pressure will probably accompany Raducanu, especially on the way to New York, where she will be able to compete as the defending champion in a few weeks. "There is no pressure. Why should there be pressure? I'm 19, that's a joke. I won a Grand Slam tournament," she explained again.
The trip to New York will be "cool because I've gained a lot of experience there, with matches on the big courts, with people in the audience, the spotlight on me." That, according to Raducanu, doesn't bother her. "It's all a learning process for me. And I embrace every moment that comes my way."
Actually a very healthy attitude. Can she keep Raducanu? One wishes her very much.
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