"I am 19 years old; I'm a slam champion, no one's going to take that away from me" - Emma Raducanu after Wimbledon 2R loss
Emma Raducanu has said that she doesn't feel the pressure of being a Grand Slam winner following her Wimbledon second-round exit on Wednesday.
The reigning US Open champion made a fairy-tale run to the Flushing Meadows title last season. However, she has struggled to back that up at the Majors this year. Her latest setback came against Caroline Garcia on Centre Court, with the British teenager managing to win only six games against her French opponent.
Raducanu, 19, has now made a trio of second-round exits at Grand Slams. She lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Roland Garros and Danka Kovinic at the Australian Open. Nevertheless, the teenager feels she isn't getting bogged down by the pressure and limelight.
In her press conference following her loss to Garcia, she bullishly stated that the pressure is on others who are yet to win a Slam rather than on her.
"I am 19 years old. Yes, I have had attention. But I'm a slam champion, so no one's going to take that away from me. Yeah, if anything, the pressure is on those who haven't done that," said Raducanu.
Love this from Emma Raducanu when asked about spotlight and pressure:
"I am 19 years old. Yes, I have had attention. But I'm a slam champion, so no one's going to take that away from me. Yeah, if anything, the pressure is on those who haven't done that."
#Wimbledon
Analyzing the reasons for her defeat at SW19 on Wednesday, Raducanu said that her opponent served well on the day while she seemed to struggle with the conditions.
"I think it was first-strike tennis," said Raducanu. "She served really well today. Didn't get too many looks at second serves. ... May be it was the conditions, but I didn't have much ball-speed today (on my serves)."
Also Check Out :-Wimbledon Winners
"Going back to New York is going to be cool" - Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu's next appearance at a Major will be at Flushing Meadows later this year, the scene of her historic triumph a year ago.
Coming through qualifying, the Briton made a stunning run to the title, winning ten straight matches without dropping a set. A year later, she says, she's more experienced on the big stage.
Everyone has their fairy tale ending 😊
@EmmaRaducanu | #USOpen https://t.co/2ttCchmixi
When asked if she would feel any pressure as the defending champion, Raducanu replied in the negative.
"Going back to New York is going to be cool because I have a lot of experience playing on big courts, playing with people in the stadium, playing with the spotlight on you. For me, everything is learning, and I'm embracing every single moment," said Raducanu.
Emma Raducanu will now look to get some much-needed rest before she turns her attention to hardcourts.
Also Check Out :-Wimbledon 2022 Results