After spending her Sunday evening in front of the television, Emma Raducanu returned to work on Monday and excelled in the art of mimicry. At least one person seems to have drawn some inspiration from watching England at the Euros.
‘Winning ugly,’ she would say as night fell on day one at these championships. ‘It counts.’
It does. It counted for Gareth Southgate’s side in Germany and it counted for Raducanu on Centre Court, where she received some help from a kind draw and then made slightly hard work of reaping the benefits. It might just be the theme of this English sporting summer.
For Slovakia in the last 16 in Germany, see a Mexican named Renata Zarazua in the first round here. Needless to say, it was originally meant to be a tougher assignment for Raducanu, but after three years of rough luck she was handed a gift when world No 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova withdrew ill on Monday morning.
Into her space stepped a lucky loser who had not won a tour-level match on grass contesting her first such tie in the main draw. It transpires there is no such thing as a walkover — Zarazua, the world No 98, was awkward, clever, unaffected by the Centre Court crowd and proved herself to be a stone that refused to leave Raducanu’s shoe.
Emma Raducanu cruised into the second round of Wimbledon after beating Renata Zarazua
Raducanu won in straight sets 7-6 6-3, as she put in an impressive display on centre court
Zarazua was a late replacement for Ekaterina Alexandrova and made her main draw debut
That Raducanu, 21, overcame the challenge is encouraging. It will also further the feeling, not least in her own mind, that corners are being turned barely a year on from all those surgeries and a fair few doubts.
The past couple of weeks have certainly shown promise on the grass, so this win will only add to the momentum and confidence, even if the mechanics of her 7-6, 6-3 victory were less than pretty, especially in the first set.
‘I was nervous for sure,’ she said. ‘I’m sure everyone could see that but at the end of the day you just have to get over the line. Honestly watching the football last night, it was like winning ugly, but it all counts.
‘As I said in the first press conference, I’d be over the moon if I won my first round here. And I really am.
‘I think each match I win should be celebrated, because I know how hard wins are to come by. Having had a few under my belt, I’m really cherishing every single one because I know how difficult it is to be on the flip side.
‘Results-wise I have no expectations. I just have expectations to really put myself on the line on the court and fight and not let any frustrations get to me.’
‘Results-wise I have no expectations. I just have expectations to really put myself on the line on the court and fight and not let any frustrations get to me.’
Raducanu was backed by a hugely supportive crowd at Wimbledon on Monday evening
The words tally with Raducanu’s recent mantras, stating she has fallen back in love with the game. At times these can chime as an attempt to trick one’s own mind, but for now she has more of a spring in the step than at most junctures since that astonishing New York fairytale in 2021.
Her ranking is currently a modest 135 but that will climb, as will her audiences, you would hope. By the time this match started Centre Court was only half-full, though those present did include David Beckham.
The very first point he saw was a Raducanu forehand winner that fizzed up the line, but it would prove a touch misleading. A far more accurate picture of the first set was depicted by the drop shot with which Zarazua secured the hold a couple of minutes later — she tormented Raducanu with that ploy repeatedly.
Time and again the 26-year-old Mexican’s gameplan seemed to revolve around drawing her opponent to the net with those little teasers and then testing her volleys. It was smart and it exposed a weakness.
David Beckham was among those watching the 21-year-old in action from the Royal Box
Raducanu expressed her delight after the game but made sure to heap praise on her opponent
With Raducanu planting so many of those balls into the net, this quickly became a slog. That was demonstrated by her first scream of ‘come on’ as early as the third game, and again when she failed to shrug off Zarazua after finally breaking to go 3-2 ahead.
The expectation was that she would motor clear, but instead she gave the serve straight back at 4-3 by fluffing a forehand wide.
Her unforced error count would climb as high as 18 across the set, but when the pressure was suddenly cranked up by a tiebreak, Raducanu located her best tennis. She won the first point against Zarazua’s serve and then each of the next six for a whitewash, sealed with an unreturned serve. She raised her game in those potentially slippery circumstances brilliantly.
The second commenced with a resumption of minor dramas, when Raducanu was required to save two break points at 1-1, but gradually she was able to master the awkwardness of her opponent. Her break came in the sixth game and this time there was no returning of favours.
It was ugly, effective, and strangely in fashion.
