‘I literally won a Slam’ – Raducanu laughs off any talk of pressure after Wimbledon exit

In her last three Grand Slams, Emma Raducanu has departed the draw in the second round – in Australia at the hands of Danka Kovinic (6-4, 4-6, 6-3), to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Roland-Garros (3-6, 6-1, 6-1), and now a sound defeat at the hands of the experienced and aggressive Caroline Garcia, 6-3, 6-3, on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

The next time she arrives on court at a Major, it’ll be as a defending champion in New York.

But the 19-year-old scorned any talk that she would be feeling any pressure, telling journalists in her post-match press conference: “There’s no pressure. Like, why is there any pressure? I’m still 19. Like, it’s a joke. I literally won a slam.

“Going back to New York, it’s going to be cool because I have got a lot of experiences playing on big courts, playing with people in the stadium, playing with the spotlight on you. I don’t mind that. I mean, for me, everything is learning. I’m embracing every single moment that is thrown at me.”

Raducanu – I’ve played seven hours in a month

And she reminded observers that she had little time on court in recent weeks, pulling out mid-match in the only tournament she entered between Paris and London while 4-3 down to Viktorija Golubic in Nottingham.

“I didn’t feel anything out there. I declared myself fully fit when I walked out onto the court on the first day. But I’ve played seven hours of tennis in a month. To even compete with these girls at this level and win a round I think is a pretty good achievement.”

She also suggested that with players facing her for a second or third time, she would have to develop her game to find new ways of countering them.

“Yeah, of course it will make me a better player because they’re just highlighting all my weaknesses. Then when you do it on a big court like that, it’s definitely magnified. It’s just great for me to get all these lessons at such a young age so that when I’m in my mid 20s, I’ll have those issues or little glitches in my game sorted.”

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