Emma Raducanu is ready to try and make a deep run in front of her home fans at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. However, the 19-year-old admitted her participation was uncertain at one stage.
At last year's Wimbledon Championships, Raducanu became known to the wider tennis world. She reached the Round of 16 in London before retiring in the second set of her match against Ajla Tomljanovic.
The Briton's major breakthrough came a few weeks later at the US Open. She stunned tennis fans worldwide by storming to the title as a qualifier without dropping a set. It was one of the biggest shocks in tennis history.
Raducanu has crashed back to reality during a difficult 2022 season so far. Her troubles were demonstrated by her losing the final two sets, 1-6 and 1-6, against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the French Open a few weeks ago.
Her luck did not improve during her opening match of the grass-court season. She was forced to retire against Viktorija Golubic due to a problem with her left rib she sustained in the early stages of the match.
Fans panicked when Raducanu canceled her practice session with Garbine Muguruza on Friday. Luckily, the reigning US Open champion said she is fit to play, although there were some doubts earlier in the week.
"There were moments earlier in the week when we weren't really sure. Right now, I'm fit. I'm ready to go. I'm looking forward to it – that's it. We were sort of going to see how the week goes, but it went pretty well."
Raducanu also reflected during her press conference on how different the experience is compared to last year at SW19. Due to her greater name recognition, she feels that many people are behind her.
"I think it's amazing. This year, I get such a special feeling walking around the grounds. I definitely feel that people are behind me. One of the perks is that I don't need to cross the road to practice on Court 28 or so. Last year, I came fresh off my exams."