"Winning ugly" - Emma Raducanu makes David Beckham laugh with cheeky remark about watching England win at Euro 2024
Emma Raducanu booked her place in the second round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships on Monday, getting through her opener at the event in straight sets. The Brit's best moment of the day, however, came in her on-court interview when she made former English football superstar David Beckham laugh with a hilarious remark.
Raducanu was originally set to take on Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round at SW19. When the Russian withdrew at the last minute, Mexico's Renata Zarazua became her opponent, coming in as the lucky loser.
After a hard-fought opening set that went into the tiebreaker, the former US Open champion was more relaxed in the second set and sealed the match 7-6(0), 6-3 on Center Court. Watching her battle from the sidelines was Beckham, one of the most popular and accomplished football players to come out of England in the last 1990s and 2000s.
With the 2024 Euros currently going on, Raducanu has been keeping up with the action as well, having previously spotted training at Wimbledon sporting an England national team jersey.
At the tournament, England has reached the quarterfinals, albeit in unimpressive fashion. In three group stage matches, the team scored just two goals. In the Round of 16 clash against Slovakia, the Three Lions trailed for 90 minutes before an extraordinary injury-time equalizer from Jude Bellingham helped them take the match to extra time. There, Harry Kane produced the winner for a 2-1 win that left most fans disappointed.
Emma Raducanu was among the fans who watched the outing against Slovakia with a keen eye. But instead of being discontent about the manner of the win, the Brit saw it as an example of 'winning ugly,' which she believed was all one could hope for at the end of some days.
Raducanu compared it to her own showing on Monday, stating that although she was nervous, she was glad to get over the line. The cheeky response delighted the fans at Wimbledon, David Beckham included, who broke into a wide smile upon hearing it.
"I was for sure nervous, I'm sure everyone could see that in my tennis a little bit. But at the end of the day, you just have to do what it takes to get over the line. Honestly, watching the football last night, it was like winning ugly.. like it all counts," Raducanu said with a laugh.
Emma Raducanu to take on Elise Mertens in Wimbledon second round
Following her win over Renata Zarazua, Emma Raducanu will next take on Elise Mertens in the second round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Unlike Raducanu, Mertens needed three sets to get through her opener, beating Nao Hibino 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Raducanu and Mertens have never met on the WTA Tour before, and will meet for the first time on Wednesday. The winner of the clash will take on either Arantxa Rus or Maria Sakkari in the third round at SW19.