Emma Raducanu turns up to watch men's world number one in Wimbledon practise amid Carlos Alcaraz romance rumours
And the British underdog — who is 3-1 to shock
Court
today — has vowed to behave aggressively as she fights to stay in Wimbledon.
Advertisement
4
Emma Raducanu played keepy puppies ahead of her big match
Credit: PA
4
She underwent a final session ahead of her clash with Aryna Sabalenka
Credit: Getty
4
Raducanu watched Jannik Sinner beat Aleksandar Vukic
Credit: PA
Raducanu, 22, was doing keepy-uppies with her team at SW19's Aorangi Park training base.
And before facing the Belarusian three-time Grand Slam champion, she watched the world's top man, Jannik Sinner, practise ahead of his straight-sets victory over Aleksandar Vukic.
British No 1 Raducanu said: 'I'm trying to learn by osmosis. Jannik is so effortless when he hits the ball.
'I have been trying to watch a bit more live when I am away. I watched Joao Fonseca the other day.
Advertisement
READ MORE IN WIMBLEDON
'I have just been practising for just an hour and ten minutes.
'I was working on a few things I will need.
'I feel good. I'm doing everything I can on my side. I know over time I'm doing the right things.'
Raducanu's 70-minute session started at 3pm and she hit mostly with colleague Adam Jones under the watchful eye of new coach Mark Petchey and good pal Jane O'Donoghue.
Advertisement
Most read in Sport
Breaking
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
4
Raducanu has been romantically linked to Carlos Alcaraz
Credit: PA
It was after that hit she went and watched Italian Sinner, sitting on a park bench for about 20 minutes.
The Petchey masterplan worked when she impressively knocked out the 2023 Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova on Wednesday evening.
Advertisement
Carlos Alcaraz claims he 'will do whatever she wants me to do' in revealing Emma Raducanu interview after Wimbledon win
Now, there is nothing to lose, there is no pressure on
She has never beaten anyone ranked No 1 in the world — in fact, she has never even won a set.
But if she can approach it in the same manner as her victory over Czech star Vondrousova, then maybe she could shake up the entire women's draw.
Raducanu added: 'Aryna is No 1 in the world for a reason.
Advertisement
'She has been so dominant in the women's game as of the last few years.
'I know it's going to be a massive challenge. I'm going to have to play some really good tennis.
'I'm going to have to be aggressive but pick my moments and not kind of be overly aggressive. You can fall into that trap, too.
'I don't think I'm going to go out there and out-power her size-wise and power-wise.
Advertisement
'I'm going to have to try to be creative as well. I'm more confident in my own game.
'Having the direction over the last few months built over consistency has really helped.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
What TV channel is Georgia vs Ireland on? Kick-off time, FREE stream, team news and odds for summer series opener
PAUL O'CONNELL'S Ireland are in Tbilisi for their opening summer series Test against Georgia. The Munster legend is standing in for the series in place of Advertisement 2 Paul O'Connell's Ireland face Georgia on Saturday Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 2 Craig Casey captains the team Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Here's everything you need to know about the match. When is it on and what time is kick-off? Georgia vs Kick-off is at 6pm Irish time. Where can I watch it? Fans in Ireland will be able to watch the game, as well as the follow-up Test against Portugal on terrestrial TV . Advertisement Read More on Ireland Rugby Virgin Media One will be showing both games, with today's coverage getting underway at 5:33pm. It will also be available to stream via the Virgin Media Player. What are the teams? Georgia: Davit Niniashvili, Akaki Tabutsadze, Demur Tapladze, Giorgi Kveseladze, Sandro Todua, Luka Matkava, Vasil Lobzhanidze; Giorgi Akhaladze, Vano Karkadze, Irakli Aptsiauri, Mikheil Babunashvili, Lado Chachanidze, Luka Ivanishvili, Beka Saghinadze, Tornike Jalagonia. Replacements: Irakli Kvatadze, Giorgi Tetrashvili, Beka Gigashvili, Giorgi Javakhia, Ilia Spanderashvili, Mikheil Alania, Tedo Abzhandadze, Tornike Kakhoidze. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union Ireland: Jimmy O'Brien, Tommy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Stuart McCloskey, Replacements: Tom Stewart, Michael Milne, Jack Aungier, Tom Ahern, Cian Prendergast, Ben Murphy, Craig Casey shares hilarious 'fear' weighing on him before captaining Ireland for first time vs Georgia What are the odds? Georgia, who are 11the in the world rankings and above Wales , are 7/1 to beat the new look Ireland team. As for the visitors, they are out to 1/12 to pick up the victory while the draw is at 35/1. Advertisement What has been said in the build-up? summer series and Interim boss out in the absence of injured captain Since Australia with the British and Irish Lions, O'Connell has been left with a majorly inexperienced squad for the summer Tests. Captain Doris was unavailable with a shoulder injury and Wales in the Advertisement With other seasoned internationals such as Peter O'Mahony and When speaking to Virgin Media he spoke about what it means to him to be given the Ireland captaincy for the summer Test matches.] He said: "It was brilliant. It's probably not something you dream about when you are younger. Captaining Ireland is probably something that is way out of my league of what I thought I could do when I was younger. "When you see the calibre of players that have never captained their country I think it is very special for me. Advertisement The former Ardscoil Rís captain was asked what will be going through his head as he leads his Ireland teammates out onto the pitch to face Georgia and his response was an unexpected one. He answered "Firstly I hope the mascot isn't taller than me like the (Ireland) A game."
The Irish Sun
44 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Luke Littler appears to try new tactic with World Darts champion, 18, ‘hating' former favourite double
DARTS fans reckon Luke Littler has seemingly abandoned his trademark shot selection. The 18-year-old became famed for routinely nailing Double 10 with ease during his miraculous rise to world title contention. 2 Luke Littler became famed for nonchalantly hitting Double 10 during his rise to fame Credit: GETTY 2 But the 18-year-old has seemingly ditched what used to be his bread and butter Credit: SHUTTERSTOCK But judging from his most recent outings, including at the Poland Open, the 18-year-old has seemingly changed tact and opted not to go for Double 10 as much. The change hasn't gone unnoticed by fans, one of whom wrote on X: " "Going for 6-D8 on 22 is strange of him, but going for the 25 on 57 to leave D16 (On 82, first dart already in the 25) instead of just playing 17 Tops is incredible. "Btw, on the 57 he's hit the BULL to leave 7." READ MORE DARTS NEWS Another said: "Littler playing class as always, acted a bit wierd today tho, can only assume he was having a bad day on tops and d10. And another said: "He might try to switch the doubles because tops didn't go so well the last few months." One darts fan theorised: "I wonder if he's trying to get better at D16 ready for the Grand Prix. "Last year he kept going for tops and didn't do great, whereas many others get in on D16." Most read in Sport JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Luke Littler prize money breakdown Here is all the prize money Luke Littler has won so far after being crowned 2025 PDC World Darts Championship winner: World Championship 2025 - £500,000 World Championship 2024 - £200,000 Grand Slam of Darts 2024 - £150,000 European Tour - £91,000 Player Championships events - £71,500 Players Championship final runner-up - £60,000 UK Open 2023 + 2024 - £17,500 World Matchplay - £10,000 World Grand Prix - £7,500 European Championship - £7,500 (Unranked) Premier League Darts - £315,000 TOTAL: £1.43 million Littler began his defence of the Poland Darts Masters title on Friday with a 6-4 win over the Czech Republic 's Karel Sedlack. He'll be back in action this evening in an all-English clash against Nathan Aspinall. Luke Littler launches new McDonald's burger as darts sensation, 18, adds fast food giants to lucrative brand deals Littler recently revealed he's still tormented by the pain of letting the Darts Premier League title slip through his grasp. He said: "I'll probably say the Premier League final against Luke [Humphries]. 'Yeah, because I was 5-2 up and I knew we would go off for a break after 10 legs, so we've still got 3 legs to play. 'So, I said to myself, if you go 7-3 up or 6-4 up, then I'm happy, but I went into the break at 5-5. 'I was fuming and then he just went on and won it. 'He definitely did up his game, because I'm pretty sure after the break, I think he went 7-5 up. 'So he came on stage, won the next two legs. I was just thinking what was going on.'
Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Ciara Mageean reveals shock cancer diagnosis in emotional statement
Olympian Ciara Mageean has revealed that she has been diagnosed with cancer. The 33-year-old runner revealed her shock news on Instagram yesterday evening. Ms Mageean posted: 'To everyone who's been part of my journey so far, I have some difficult news to share: I have been diagnosed with cancer.' Olympian Ciara Mageean has revealed that she has been diagnosed with cancer. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile She went on to say: 'It's been a lot to take in, but I've already started treatment and I'm incredibly grateful to be surrounded by the love and support of my family and close friends. Right now, my focus is on healing and taking things one day at a time. 'I kindly ask that you respect my privacy and that of my loved ones as we move through this together. Your understanding means more than I can say.' Ms Mageean thanked her fans for 'the love and strength', saying she was 'ready to face this with the same fight I've always brought to the track'. The 33-year-old runner revealed her shock news on Instagram yesterday evening. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile The runner from Co. Down last raced 12 months ago in Monaco. She showed strong form at the European Championships in Rome, where she beat British runner Georgia Hunter Bell to claim gold in the 1500m. Ms Bell went on to win bronze at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Ms Mageean was unfortunately forced to withdraw from the Paris Olympics due to an Achilles tendon issue. This resulted in her undergoing surgery in London that September. Ms Mageean spent the winter months of 2024 recovering before starting to run again earlier this year. Thomas Moran and Ciara Mageean. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile She had her sights set on the Tokyo World Championship this September but, due to an ankle injury in May, gave up on the idea of competing. Despite setbacks with her ankle and Achilles tendon, she still had strong ambitions of competing in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, a promise she made to herself after pulling out of the Paris Olympics. Recalling this painful moment, she said: 'I phoned my family and told them I was withdrawing, which was tough because they'd flown all that way to watch their daughter race at the Olympics. I gave up on that dream then.' However, she added: 'My dream may have been dashed but in that moment, I firmly set my sights on the next four-year cycle.' Ms Mageean holds the record as Ireland's fastest woman at the 800m, 1000m, 1500m and the mile. She was a semi-finalist at the Olympics in Rio in 2016 and has travelled to three Olympic Games. She is a four-time European medallist and has been a finalist in the world 1500m competition twice and placed fourth at Budapest in 2023. Ms Mageean was based in England for seven years after moving to Manchester to work with Team New Balance, under coach Steve Vernon. She lives in Belfast with fiancé Thomas Moran.
