“I’ve just been having so much fun that I really just want to stay” – Raducanu after third round win
The Brit says she is enjoying the battles on court and loves the feeling of competing in front of her home crowd
Emma Raducanu, Wimbledon 2024
There’s a spring in Emma Raducanu‘s step this year at Wimbledon; there’s a spark in her game; and more importantly there’s a smile on her face.
Raducanu, still just 21 years old, has romped through the first three rounds at the All England Club this week without dropping a set. She’s into the fourth round at her home Grand Slam for the second time in her career but for the first since becoming a Grand Slam champion and then dropping out of the game’s elite as injuries and lofty expectations took a toll on her.
The joy in her game and herself has been clear for all to see at Wimbledon and Raducanu, herself, admitted that she is having a blast on the court.
“I think I’m very grateful just being healthy. I think I missed the feeling of being on the grounds very much,” Raducanu told the media on Friday after her third round win over ninth seed Maria Sakkari. “I think it was really painful last year coming here and not being able to compete, being on the other side of it. I think that feeling has been pulling me through a lot this week. Just remembering how I felt then, bringing it back to the present. I’ve just been having so much fun that I really just want to stay. I don’t want to go home. It’s a good, different type of motivation.”
I thrive on such occasions, on big stages. It’s something that I play tennis for.
Many have compared Raducanu’s standard of play this week to her performance during her US Open run. The Brit added that she has even enjoyed when she has been on the losing end of rallies because she was enjoying the battle on court.
“Number two, for sure,” she responded when asked to rank the week on a fun scale keeping the No 1 spot for her US Open title week. “I mean, even the points I was losing, the long points or certain situations, even when I lost the point, I found myself smiling or laughing to myself because I was just enjoying competing, I was just enjoying the battle, I was just appreciating the good tennis that was being played by my opponent who is of course going to come out with some amazing points because she’s class.”
Raducanu, who pulled out of the mixed doubles event on Saturday where she was to partner Andy Murray in a blockbuster dream pairing due to stiffness in her right wrist, is building hope among the British fans of a deep run this fortnight, and perhaps, even a title. But instead of being weighed down by the expectations, she feels privileged to be in her current position.
“I love playing on the big courts. For me, I thrive on such occasions, on big stages. It’s something that I play tennis for. I just love the feeling of it, competing, especially here in front of a home crowd. It is really amazing. I think on the pressure side, you can flip it. I have a packed Centre Court who are all rooting for me to win. It really felt like that today. It really felt like that in my last two matches. For me, I just feel happy that that many people are behind me. I think pressure’s a privilege, as well.”
