Emma Raducanu thinks that watching Carlos Alcaraz before matches and trying to mimic some of his shots is what motivated her incredible run to the Wimbledon final 16.
The Spanish player battled to defeat Frances Tiafoe in five sets, forcing the British No. 3 to wait until early evening to play on Centre Court. Raducanu put on one of her best performances of the season, crushing No. 9 seed Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3, not letting it stop her.
“The Carlos versus Frances Tiafoe match was such amazing tennis, just very fun to watch,” Raducanu remarked. “The last couple matches I’ve been following Carlos, and it’s just good to watch before the match. And sometimes in certain moments you in a way try to emulate certain shots or whatever.”
Raducanu will take on the world number 123 next. Lulu Sun, who doesn’t play another seed until the semifinals, seems to be having a dream run. She emphasized, nevertheless, that she is resolved to handle things one game at a time. She remarked, “I only focus on who I’m playing next,” “That’s the best way to be. Staying present in the moment is what got me this far. I’m not going to start changing anything.”
Nevertheless, Raducanu acknowledged that her match against Sakkari was the result of her recent hard work on the game and said it was the second most enjoyable match she had ever had on the court, only surpassed by her 2021 US Open victory.
Raducanu remarked, “I found myself grinning or laughing to myself because I was just enjoying competing so much.” “I was just enjoying the battle, and really appreciating the good tennis that was being played by my opponent.
“You do your work day in, day out. You never know when it’s going to pay off, you never know when you’re going to reap the rewards.
“I’m very happy that a lot of the work I’ve been doing has compounded and has been able to show this week.”
In addition, Raducanu expressed her happiness at being on Court No. 1 with Andy Murray on Saturday night for the opening round of the mixed doubles.
She went on, “I’ll just take direction and follow his lead,” “I’ll have to do a crash course in doubles but I’ll have fun regardless. Of course, I will cherish the opportunity because it is just such an honour.”
