"It's a joke. I literally won a slam" - Raducanu brushes off suggestions she buckled under pressure

Thursday, 30 June 2022 at 12:00

Updated at Saturday, 14 December 2024 at 12:42

raducanu emma wimbledon2022 martinsidorjak

byZachary Wimer

Emma Raducanu lost in the second round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships to Caroline Garcia, but she fiercely dismissed the notion of buckling under pressure.

The British player was not shy to remind everyone that she has already won a Grand Slam in her tennis career, and she's not even 20 yet. Yes, Raducanu won the US Open as a teenager, and that made many tennis fans excited.

However, many former tennis players and current pundits warned against something like that, explaining that she will need time to fully find herself after a superbly epic run at the US Open.

Speaking after her loss at SW19, Raducanu fiercely rejected any talk about her buckling under pressure calling that idea 'a joke.'

"There is no pressure, why is there any pressure?‘I am still 19. It is a joke. I literally won a [Grand] Slam. Yes, I have had attention. But I’m a slam champion, so no one’s going to take that away from me. If anything, the pressure is on those who haven’t done that."

— Raducanu brushing off pressure comments<br>

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In her own mind, it was the lack of matches that ultimately proved troublesome to overcome. As she explained after her loss, seven hours of tennis in one month is not good enough to play against players who have competed for weeks.

Garcia won the Bad Homburg Open last week so she's been in top form for a while. The Brit also confirmed she was fully fit and there wasn't anything affecting her.

"I didn’t feel anything out there, I declared myself fully fit when I walked out there onto the court on the first day. But I’ve played seven hours of tennis in a month so to even compete with these girls at this level and win a round I think is a pretty good achievement."