EM'S NOT LAUGHING
‘It’s a joke’ – Emma Raducanu, 19, slams public pressure on her after crashing out of Wimbledon in second round
EMMA RADUCANU crashed out of Wimbledon but said public pressure on her to win Slams every time was a “joke”.
The Brit, 19, was beaten 6-3 6-3 by Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in only her second-ever Centre Court match.
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Her next appearance at major level will be a title defence at the US Open in New York in late August.
Asked if she was ready to return as defending champion following this SW19 exit, Raducanu said: “There’s no pressure.
“Like, why is there any pressure? I’m still 19. Like, it’s a joke. I literally won a slam.
“Yes, I have had attention. But I’m a slam champion, so no one’s going to take that away from me.
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“If anything, the pressure is on those who haven’t done that.
“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, who is set to play in Washington in August, vowed to return to Wimbledon next year much stronger for the pain of losing this time.
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The Kent star said: “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.
“I’ll just get better. I’ll just look at what’s not working, what my weaknesses are, improve them. It’s good for me.
“These lessons are coming every single week. It’s just a reminder you got to do this, this, and that.
“It comes from different players so it just highlights it. It’s just something to improve on.”
Garcia, 28, lost to Raducanu in three sets on the Indian Wells hard courts in March but responded by breaking British hearts on grass.
The world No55 believes Raducanu is no longer a surprise package on the WTA Tour, saying: “When you are young and coming up, obviously no one knows you.
“It’s always positive points on your side, because you can analyse a lot your opponent and know how is it played.
“It’s pretty tricky most of the time to find video or good quality matches where you can watch how they are doing.
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“Then obviously everyone knows you, especially when you are doing great, which is her case.
“Obviously I learn a little bit some stuff when I played against her in the US and tried to learn from my loss and makes things better.”
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