“Playing well above her ranking,” Former British No.1 Laura Robson picks Emma Raducanu as Wimbledon favorite even after tough draw

Laura Robson expressed her hope of seeing Emma Raducanu have a great campaign.

“Playing well above her ranking,” Former British No.1 Laura Robson picks Emma Raducanu as Wimbledon favorite even after tough draw

Emma Raducanu, Laura Robson (Images via Imago, X)

Former British No.1 Laura Robson has always supported Emma Raducanu and thinks the 21-year-old can win the upcoming Wimbledon. Looking at Raducanu’s past performances on grass this year, Robson picked her compatriot as a favorite for the event.

She skipped Roland Garros to prepare for Wimbledon by participating in two grass-court tournaments, reaching the semifinals in the Nottingham Open (losing to eventual champion Katie Boulter) and the quarterfinals in the WTA 500 Eastbourne Open, losing to Daria Kasatkina. Robson, who served as the tournament director in Nottingham, feels Raducanu has got her form back. 

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Looking at her levels, she is clearly playing well above her ranking. She is already right up there with the top players and that will be really nice for Emma to see. She will know she is not far off and is in a lot better place than she was six months ago. So if I had to pick out a player to watch at Wimbledon in the women’s draw, it would be Emma.
Laura Robson told Tennis 365

Raducanu, who missed almost an entire year in 2023 due to three surgeries, had disappointing results at hard and clay-court events earlier this year. She is World No. 168 right now and is 11/ 8 for the year.

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Emma Raducanu will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Wimbledon first round

In an interview, Emma Raducanu admitted that she lacked motivation after her US Open win but felt she got her form back this time. And this is why Laura Robson during that same interview with Tennis 365 expressed her hope of seeing Emma Raducanu have a great campaign now that the young player feels positive about her form. 

Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu (Image via Imago)
I love her energy and I saw it first-hand at Nottingham. She was requested to play early each day and get on court whenever she could. It was great for me as the tournament director as I could let her go.
Laura Robson said 

Raducanu, however, is handed a tough draw as she will face 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships on July 1. Alexandrova, who reached the fourth round in last year’s Wimbledon and has won four career WTA titles, will meet the Brit for the first time on the WTA Tour. 

Since winning the 2021 US Open, the former World No.10 has remained trophyless and is searching for her second career title. At Wimbledon, her best performance came in 2021 when she made it to the fourth round. 

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