Emma Raducanu was reduced to tears the last time she faced Ekaterina Alexandrova, her opponent in the first round at Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old tennis superstar is keen to revive her once sparkling career, which peaked spectacularly almost three years ago with her surprising US Open victory. Currently unseeded, Raducanu has been grappling with both fitness and form challenges for most of the past two years, only earning a Wimbledon slot through wildcard qualification.
The draw throws her into competition against Russian 22nd seed Alexandrova, with their last face-off coming during an ill-fated pre-match practice ahead of the US Open 2022. Raducanu was the defending champion heading into Flushing Meadows, but had been battling persistent fitness issues throughout the year.
She barely survived 40 minutes of practice before halting due to pain in her hand. Despite attempting to push through, a mere few minutes later Raducanu was forced to stop again, her face etched with pain. An emotional debate ensued between Raducanu and her coach over what should happen next, and the Brit could be seen trying to hold back tears.
Addressing the press following the practice session, Raducanu insisted all was fine but confessed she was struggling with "a couple of blisters" causing significant discomfort on her hand.
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She then fell at the first hurdle shortly after, losing unexpectedly to Alize Cornet in straight sets. This disappointing defeat marked her as the third woman in US Open history to exit in the inaugural match of the tournament in the year following her title triumph.
Since then, she's only participated in two majors, the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, where she was defeated in the second round on both occasions.
Emma Raducanu is looking to reignite her faltering career at Wimbledon ((Image: Getty))Raducanu is among the 19 British players competing in the singles draws at Wimbledon this year, joining the likes of Andy Murray and Katie Boulter. She enters the grass-court Grand Slam with promising form, having made it to the semi-finals in Nottingham and the quarter-finals in Eastbourne.
In Eastbourne, she claimed victory over American world number five Jessica Pegula, marking her first win against a top-10 opponent.
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