Language And Love

A "nervous" Emma Raducanu has said that she took inspiration from England's dramatic 2-1 victory over Slovakia in the European Championship round of 16 after she won on her return to Wimbledon on Monday.

The former US Open champion was tested by her opponent, Renata Zarazúa, and forced to work hard for a straight-sets victory against the world No. 98.

England booked their spot in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals on Sunday after Jude Bellingham's overhead kick in injury time saved Gareth Southgate's team from elimination after a lacklustre performance.

"I'm incredibly happy to be back here, of course. And today it was, I mean, I was for sure nervous," Raducanu, who wore an England shirt to her practice session at Wimbledon on Sunday, told the BBC.

"I think everyone could see that in my tennis a little bit, but at the end of the day, you have to just do what it takes to get over the line. And honestly, watching the football last night, it was like: Winning ugly... It all counts."

Zarazúa had stepped in to face Raducanu at late notice as the lucky loser after No. 22 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who she had originally been drawn to face, withdrew from the tournament with illness.

"I found out at like 10.30 today and for the last three days we've been planning, playing, setting up practices with similar opponents and then all of a sudden, yeah, it's a change of plan," Raducanu said of Alexandrova's withdrawal.

"So it took a little bit of adjusting and finding my feet. But yeah, I just want to say thank you to everyone for the support in some crucial moments and yeah, I really enjoyed playing back."

Monday's match was Raducanu's first at Wimbledon since 2022 after she missed last year's championships while recovering from operations on both wrists and an ankle.

Zarazúa sought to test Raducanu's fitness by building long rallies interspersed with regular drop shots that tested the Brit's ability to get around the court. But Raducanu found form in the second set, eventually dispatching the Mexican 7-6(0), 6-3 to the delight of the home crowd in south west London.

Asked about the atmosphere at Centre Court, Raducanu said: "It's incredible. I think that's just such a great buzz in the summer time, although today's a little bit cloudy, but I think the tennis, the football, the Formula One, everything, and I think that it just really uplifts [everyone], myself included.

"I think it's such an amazing atmosphere to be a part of. And honestly, my motivation is just to keep coming back here and being able to keep playing and feel that buzz."