Emma Raducanu had to deal with a tricky situation of her opponent changing at the last minute at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, but she was proud of how she handled it.
Raducanu's Wimbledon draw wasn't the best because she had to face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. The Russian is one of the better players on grass and generally does really well, even against top players.
That's why Raducanu called herself an underdog after finding out who she would play. In a twist of fate, Raducanu didn't play Alexandrova in the opening round because the Russian was forced to withdraw from the event.
She faced Renata Zarazua and bested her in two sets, even though it was a really tough match in which Raducanu had some considerable trouble. After the match, she was asked whether the late change in opponent impacted the match, and she admitted that it did because it's very difficult to adjust quickly.
She didn't have much time to really change her approach after spending hours preparing for a certain type of match.
"Yeah, I think it's really difficult. With the notice, it was only a few hours, really, so when you prepped the last, since the draw came out to play one person, and then you know it's a completely different style of player as well, you worked on things specific, but I think it's all about competing at the end of the day, and it's all about mental."
"You just have to keep your head together and stay calm. Try not to let the external circumstances throw you too much, but it is difficult, and you're just a bit more on edge. I think I managed to handle it well."
In the end, Raducanu was glad about the win while acknowledging it was an 'ugly win.' She hopes to do better in the next round, and this time, she can be certain that there will be no changes to her opponent.
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