England’s nail-biting victory at the Euros on Monday didn’t just delight their nation. It inspired one of the country’s top tennis players.
Emma Raudcanu has paid tribute to Gareth Southgate’s side after they scraped through their knockout match against Slovakia to reach the quarter-finals. Jude Bellingham scored in the 95th minute to put England level before Harry Kane secured victory in extra time. However, the team’s performance has come under scrutiny throughout the tournament.
“For sure I sympathize with the players who are being told they need to play a lot better, need to play perfect. I think atthe end of the day it’s about getting over the line.” Raducanu told reporters on Monday at Wimbledon.
The Brit started her campaign at The All England Club with a 7-6(0), 6-3, win over Mexico’s Renata Zarazúa, who came in as a late replacement for Ekaterina Alexanderova. Alexandrova withdrew from the match due to illness. It was a far from perfect performance from Raducanu who leaked a costly 30 unforced errors.
“Today I used it (England’s win) as motivation. It doesn’t need to be beautiful, it doesn’t need to be perfect.” She said.
“As long as you get through the opening rounds, you give yourself another chance to play better. For circumstances to align, as long as you’re still in the tournament, you keep giving yourself that chance.”
Raducanu is hoping for a strong run at SW19 following a promising grasscourt swing so far. In Nottingham, she reached the semi-finals in what was her deepest run at a WTA event since September 2022. Then in Eastbourne, she registered her first win over a top 10 player (Jessica Pegula) before losing to Daria Kasatkina, who went on to capture the title.
The recent success will inevitably raise public expectations for Raducanu to do well at her home Grand Slam. Fortunately, this year some of that pressure has been eased due to the Euros taking place at the same time as Wimbledon.
“I think football is just on a much bigger scale than tennis. They’re all under the microscope,” she said.
“I do feel for the scrutiny because I feel like tennis is just a much smaller scale. The whole nation is watching the football. The fans are very, very passionate.”
Raducanu will next play Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
