Emma Raducanu is hoping that a happy life off the court will help her on it as she races to be fit for Wimbledon. The No.30 seed is due to face Antonia Ruzic in the first match on Court 1 on Monday, but is managing a niggle and wore strapping at the front of her right ankle while training over the weekend.
While things aren’t going to plan with her tennis, the Brit seems to have found a love match. Raducanu was photographed getting cosy with a mystery man – later revealed to be PR expert John Friend, 32 – in Battersea Park earlier this month. Asked about the romantic snaps, she replied: “Very cordially put. I would say that, look, I have great people around me.
I I have amazing support from my team, from my family, from my friends. It means a lot. I think especially when you’re going through setbacks, it helps.
“I think just being around positive people, around positive influences, it’s always going to help through tough times.
Raducanu’s team includes coach Andrew Richardson, hitting partner Alexis Canter and physiotherapist Emma Stewart. The British No.1 added: “I think in general we have a great banter between us.
“I think it helps lighten the mood. I think laughing always helps. We all get on well, know each other well at this point. So that’s good. I think also laughing at certain things, it just takes the gas out of the situation, really.”
It’s been important for Raducanu to keep things light while facing setbacks. The 23-year-old spent more than two months sidelined by post-viral illness and lost her first two matches back on the clay.
The Kent local then finished runner-up at Queen’s and played her last three matches in the space of 28 hours due to rain delays.
Raducanu explained: “I have a lower-leg niggle that I’ve been dealing with since before Queen’s, actually from the back end of the clay court season. I’ve been managing it. After Queen’s maybe, during that week, was a lot of load for me.
“Five matches after having not competed for a while, I think it was just a lot of load. I’m just managing it with my team as best as I possibly can, exhausting all options and doing what we can.
The 30th seed at Wimbledon has drawn Croatia’s Ruzic in round one. She lost to the world No.61 in Dubai earlier this year while dealing with the illness. And Raducanu added: “I remember from that match she played really well.
“I think if I give her time on the ball, she’s very dangerous. She actually served great that day, too. For sure going to keep that in mind. I think I’ve come a long way in my game since Dubai.
“I think I played really well at Queen’s. I have a lot of confidence in myself. She’s going to be a dangerous player for sure. I know I need to be in a good position physically to be able to take her on.
