Emma Raducanu recently suggested that she does not like the idea of arriving early in Grand Slam tournaments.
For many top players, punctuality in major tournaments is of the essence as it gives them enough time to prepare for practice and acclimate to the conditions and surface.
But not Raducanu, who finds it quite draining that she has to sit through days off without actually playing matches. This explains why the former US Open champion chose to compete in two warm-up tournaments on grass before heading to Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old was given wild cards in the WTA 250 in Nottingham and the WTA 500 in Eastbourne and impressed in both tournaments. In the former, Raducanu reached the semifinal, losing to fellow Brit and eventual champion Katie Boulter.
This past week, she was a quarterfinalist in Eastbourne, again losing to current champion Daria Kasatkina. What was particularly encouraging is that she earned her first-ever Top 10 win against World No. 5 Jessica Pegula in the tournament.
Because she made a deep run in the final week before Wimbledon, Raducanu's journey to SW19 was a late one. When asked by reporters during her pre-tournament press conference whether this was her best preparation before a Grand Slam, she concurred that it was.
"I would say this preparation has worked out really well. I got a great balance between matches, but also stayed fresh and did not play too much. I think the Eastbourne week it was really helpful in getting some top level matches and also to get a really good win in the second round and yeah my best win to date."
Moreover, Raducanu opined that arriving early in Grand Slam tournaments can negatively impact her rhythm because she plays fewer matches in a week, which is why she chose to compete in the final week before Wimbledon.
"So I think I should take a lot of confidence from that and also it helps you know not arriving too early I would say to the site. Because sometimes when you arrive too early, you have time to think."
"I've done it before where I've not played before the Grand Slam, and I'd make the second round, play my match on Thursday, but I've been there since Monday before, so I feel like I'm in week two, but I'm in round two so it's it's it's also helpful just to keep momentum keep things going and think less."
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