Emma Raducanu says she is “ready to go” as she fine-tunes her preparations ahead of her first Wimbledon as Grand Slam champion and leading British female player.
“I’m really looking forward to coming back here at Wimbledon,” Raducanu said. “I think it’s the most special place to play tennis. Just a very inspiring and motivating place to be. Definitely looking forward to going out on the track on Monday. Yes, ready to go. “
Raducanu will face Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck on Monday in the second match on the central court, marking her first time on Wimbledon’s biggest court. Since the first game of her first match of the turf season, when Raducanu suffered a lateral strain that forced her to retire to Nottingham, the 19-year-old has been trying to recover.
“There were definitely times earlier in the week when we weren’t sure,” he said. “We were going to see how the week goes. But it went pretty well. And, yeah, it’s all steam ahead now. Everyone’s really looking forward to it. Yeah, we’re all ready.”
After canceling a training session with Garbiñe Muguruza on Friday, Raducanu said she and her team “only had to react to the situation” and noted that she had trained before: “We all collectively thought that was the best decision to spend the afternoon. the session too, and stay fresh and ready to start. “
Although his preparation has been dominated by injury speculation, Raducanu returns a year after his big hit in the fourth round after receiving a late wildcard. “This year I have such a special feeling walking through the gardens,” he said. “I definitely feel like people are behind me. Even some of the people who work in the tournament, they say, ‘You got it.’ Just cheer me on. That’s pretty special in itself.”
As Raducanu prepares for her second Wimbledon, Serena Williams unexpectedly returns to her 21st after winning two doubles matches alongside On Jabeur at Eastbourne. Williams, who is a starter against world number 113 Harmony Tan, will compete in singles for the first time since retiring in the first round last year.
Williams returned to compete in doubles just last week at Eastbourne, partnering with Jabeur as he won two games and reached the semi-finals before he retired. On Saturday, Jabeur, the third individual player, confirmed that the withdrawal was preventive.
Over time, Williams has become very active with her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, in addition to her contribution to the film King Richard about her father. Williams joked that she feels more like a venture capitalist playing tennis.
“Part of me feels like it’s a little more of my life now than tournaments,” Williams said. “When you have a venture company, you have to dedicate yourself to everything. I definitely need literally all my extra time. And it’s fun. I’m currently out of the office for the next few weeks, so if you email me , you will receive the answer “out of the office.” Everyone knows I’ll be back in a few weeks. “
It remains to be seen exactly what Williams’ game will look like after so long, but when asked what a successful tournament would be for her, the 23-time Grand Slam champion responded by raising her eyebrows: “You know the answer to that.” she said smiling.
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Earlier this month, just out of her grand slam final at the French Open, Coco Gauff expressed her disapproval of the cancellation of Roe v Wade in the United States, which had previously protected freedom. of women choosing to have an abortion.
“I just think history repeats itself,” Gauff said. “I feel that, at least for my reading, research, because I like the story, I just want to reverse this decision, I feel like we are almost going backwards. This decision not only marks a kind of brand in terms of reproductive rights, but it also seems to me a kind of step to reverse other things that people in the past worked so hard to reverse. “