“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Emma Raducanu fulfills childhood dream by partnering with Andy Murray in Wimbledon mixed doubles

Former US Open winner Emma Raducanu has found impressive form at the ongoing 2024 Wimbledon.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Emma Raducanu fulfills childhood dream by partnering with Andy Murray in Wimbledon mixed doubles

Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu Wimbledon (via Imago)

British wildcard Emma Raducanu is having the time of her life. She has progressed to the third round of Wimbledon for just the second time in her career in Women’s Singles. Now, she has the opportunity of a lifetime as she teams up with former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in mixed doubles.

It will be interesting to see how the former US Open champion will manage her schedule as she looks forward to making her deepest run in Wimbledon singles while also fulfilling her childhood dream. She spoke about it after her second-round win against Elise Mertens.

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My doubles record isn’t the longest or most vast. I couldn’t say no. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s a dream of mine since I was a young girl. Andy is a hero to all of us. For me, it’s a real gift, and it’s a real honor that he asked me. It’s a moment I could never say no to. I’m super excited to be on the mixed doubles court and hopefully learn a thing or two about coming to the net or something.
Emma Raducanu said in her post-match interview

The former World No. 1, Murray, was initially drawn in the Men’s Singles draw, which took place on Friday. However, despite his fighting character, the Scottish legend ran out of time and couldn’t recover from a spinal injury.

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Raducanu will make her Grand Slam doubles debut, having only played one tour-level doubles match in Washington two years ago. The 21-year-old and Murray previously faced each other in the summer of 2020 during a Battle of the Brits event at the National Tennis Centre, held during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emma Raducanu eases past Elise Mertens to progress into Wimbledon third-round

Emma Raducanu defeated Elise Mertens at Wimbledon, advancing to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since winning the US Open. She returned to Court One, where she had reached the fourth round three years earlier. Raducanu dominated from the beginning, winning 6-1, 6-2.

Emma Raducanu Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu (via Imago)

The former US Open champion’s performance against Mertens, who is ranked 33rd and just outside the seedings, was impressive. Many of the games were closely contested, but Raducanu consistently delivered in the key moments. She used precise lobs, sharp drop shots, and powerful groundstrokes to take control of the match. Playing under the roof on a rainy day, Raducanu won five consecutive games to start the match.

In the second game, the former top 10 player broke Mertens’ serve with a drop shot. She then saved a break point to lead 3-0 and broke the Belgian again with a forehand shot down the sideline. Mertens managed to win one game to avoid a bagel, but Raducanu kept her momentum and finished the first set with a big serve. When the World No.33 came back from 0-40 in the first game of the second set, it seemed like it might be a turning point.

However, Raducanu responded by raising her level of play even higher. She broke Mertens’ serve for 2-1 with a backhand pass and continued to dominate. The British player celebrated joyfully as Mertens’ final return went long, securing her victory.

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