Emma Raducanu snubs Centre Court at Wimbledon after Andy Murray doubles link-up
Emma Raducanu spoke after defeating Elise Mertens at Wimbledon.
Emma Raducanu revealed her favourite court at Wimbledon and the former US Open champion perhaps surprisingly snubbed Centre as her answer, instead picking the Court 1 that she defeated Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2 on to reach the third round.
Those inside the venue came close to blowing the roof off as they cheered their home star on to victory, forcing her to pause before addressing the incredible atmosphere.
“It makes me feel unbelievable," she said in her on-court interview. "I feel so welcome here. Obviously Court 1 is my favorite court.”
Many may have expected Raducanu to name Centre as her court of choice, considering the history and iconic moments associated with the venue, but 21-year-old instead opted for Court 1.
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“I think I played some really good tennis today. I’m really pleased. I’m over the moon to be playing here and extend my stay by one more day. I’m so grateful to everyone for the support today. With the roof closed, it was super loud. I’m so grateful and appreciative to everyone for making a lot of noise.”
After confirming plans to play doubles with Andy Murray at Wimbledon, which can be pencilled in to take place on Centre Court, Raducanu is likely to continue playing on the famed venue as long as she remains in both singles and mixed doubles competitions.
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However, Raducanu did not want to promise too much to her two-time Wimbledon champion partner, pointing out her less-than-stellar record in doubles.
“I mean I am not sure," she added when asked about their prospects. "My doubles record isn’t the best or longest but I couldn’t say no, it's a dream opportunity since I was a young girl. Andy is a hero to all of us. So for me it’s a real gift and a real honour that he asked me and a moment I couldn’t say no, hopefully learning something new on the doubles court, to come to the net."
Raducanu and Murray will take on Marcelo Arevalo and Zhang Shuai in their opening round of mixed doubles, Arevalo a two-time French Open doubles champion, winning in Roland Garros as recently as less than a month ago.
Zhang has also won both the Australian and US Opens in doubles and even if the two Brits come through, they have been placed in the same side of the draw as top seeds Mathew Ebden and Ellen Perez.
