Emma Raducanu relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the first wave of the British charge and admits 'not much' beats winning at the All England Club
Emma Raducanu is relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the first wave of the British charge on Monday.
'I just want to go out there and embrace the moment,' said the 22-year-old. 'It is a big occasion every year and that buzz of winning at Wimbledon, honestly, not much beats it.'
Raducanu will lead the home charge alongside childhood friend and fellow British No 1 Jack Draper.
'It's amazing. I've known him for so long, so many years,' she said. 'We were both promising juniors and now to be British No 1 on both men and women's side, it's pretty cool.'
Raducanu is taking on Swansea's Mimi Xu, the 17-year-old wildcard, in a frantic first day of Wimbledon with 14 British players in action.
Temperatures are set to hit 35°C (95°F) at the All England Club on Monday, making it the hottest opening day in Wimbledon history.
Emma Raducanu is relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the British charge
Raducanu is taking on fellow Brit Mimi Xu in a frantic first day at the All England Club
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
29 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Emma Raducanu forced to change clothes at Wimbledon after sparking anger
Emma Raducanu forced to change clothes at Wimbledon after sparking anger The British star 'enraged' some at SW19 after breaking the long-standing rule Raducanu was accused of 'arrogance' at Wimbledon earlier this year Emma Raducanu kicks off her 2025 Wimbledon campaign on Monday afternoon as she faces Welsh teenager Mimi Xu in the opening round of the women's singles. The 22-year-old heads into the Championships as the British number one and, while she "doesn't expect much" from herself at SW19 this year, will be hoping to make it beyond the fourth round for the first time. That journey gets under way on Court One on Monday, as she faces the 17-year-old rising talent Xu, who hails from Swansea. Raducanu's return to SW19 comes after she sparked anger there earlier this year, having been accused of breaking a 150-year-old rule at the All England Club. In March, she was accused of "arrogance" by members of the club for allegedly ignoring the long-standing dress code at SW19. The rules require players to wear all-white while using the courts for matches and practice sessions, and also extends to the main Grand Slam event in the summer. However, the 2021 US Open champion was instead said to have taken to the courts at the club while wearing "whatever she want[ed]," having allegedly "rocked up in a pink outfit" for a practice session. Article continues below At the time, the Daily Mail reported that her behaviour had been "enraging members" of the famous club. "It's so unfair," one angry member told the publication. "Who does she think she is? "Just because she's won the US Open doesn't mean she can wear whatever she wants.' The All England Club rules - which were first introduced in the 1880s - states that players must wear "suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white" while on the courts, although this also applies 'from the point at which the player enters the court surround'. An amendment was made to the rules in 2023 to allow female players to wear dark undershorts under their kit due to period concerns, but the regulations remain strict. For example, permitted white outfits do "not include off-white or cream", while only a 10mm trim of another single colour is allowed around necklines or the cuffs of sleeves. Article continues below Raducanu has seemingly learnt her lesson as she has been seen in training ahead of this year's tournament wearing an all-white outfit on the championship courts. She is certainly not the first start to have caused a stir with their choice of attire at Wimbledon, with some of the game's biggest stars also accused of not following the dress code. In 2022, Nick Kyrgios ruffled a few feathers by arriving on court in a pair of red Nike Jordan shoes and matching cap before changing into his white attire, while even the legendary Roger Federer also got told off for wearing orange-soled shoes on the hallowed courts.
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wimbledon: 14 Britons in action on day one - watch, listen & follow
Update: Date: 11:02 BST Title: 'I thought it was crazy - now we can't stop coming' Content: Harry PooleBBC Sport After I spotted the collection of Spanish bucket hats sat around laughing together, I approached Jorge, Luis, Jose, Eduardo and his son, also Eduardo. "I think I know who you're here for, then?" I said. "Sinner!" came the collective reply, followed by more laughter. Of course, they are here to see one man, Carlos Alcaraz. Do they think he'll win it again this year? "Of course" they again tell me in unison. "We were here last year to watch him in the first round, so he has to win this year as well. Our motivation for queueing was to see him play on Centre Court on the opening day," says Jorge, who is from Madrid. For most of them this is their third or fourth year of embracing the queue and they managed to get themselves in the top 140 - so a centre Court seat for Alcaraz will be theirs. "It's an incredible experience, very unique, obviously, camping here just to get tennis tickets I think is something that you can only do here in Wimbledon," says Jorge. "At the beginning, the first time I came, I thought it was crazy. Then I decided to do it thinking, 'oh, my God, this is crazy'. And then since we did it, we can't stop. We love it because just you find people, I mean, you meet people from everywhere and it's just great experience. So we love it." Update: Date: 11:01 BST Title: Rufus reporting for duty Content: Plenty of familiar faces are back at the All England Club for this year's Wimbledon Championships, including Rufus the American Hawk. Rufus, who is preparing for his 17th year on patrol at Wimbledon, is responsible for scaring away pigeons and keeping the courts pest-free. Update: Date: 10:57 BST Title: 'The world's most gentil festival' Content: Harry PooleBBC Sport In second place in this year's queue, but having to cover a fair bit more ground to get there than Vicki and Nigel in front of them, are Linda and her friend Aleta from Houston in the United States. They also arrived on Friday having flown overnight, dumping their bags at their accommodation before rushing to the queue to make sure their long journey was rewarded with a Centre Court ticket. "I did it last year and I was number five. If you're going to fly that far, you want to make sure you get a really wonderful ticket!" said Linda. "I just thought it was so much fun [last year]. The day I got home to the United States, I booked my Airbnb for this year. One of our other teammates [from our tennis club] is here as well, they're like 680th. "This is, like, the most gentile festival you can ever come to. It makes you love England. Everyone is so polite. Everyone is so nice. You guys queue so well. Everybody's been so kind. I just fell in love with it when I came here, I was going to come by myself if nobody else could join me." Aleta was able to join Linda, with this her first trip to Wimbledon - and anywhere in Europe for that matter. "I'm loving it. I'm scared to fly. This is my first time on a long distance flight and I've always wanted to come to Europe. I like old things, and I got to see the tower of London and some history. The ticket is affordable to get in for the match too, compared to the US Open or other slams. "Everybody's just civilised and it's just nice, it's just so great. We've met a lot of nice people in the queue and yeah I would definitely come back again." Update: Date: 10:55 BST Title: Post Content: From Glastonbury to Wimbledon, it has been a good few days for anyone in the tent business. Plenty of happy campers have been patiently waiting for the first day of Wimbledon to get under way. Update: Date: 10:53 BST Title: Hotting up Content: With more than 10,000 people now in the queue, the All England Club are advising people not to travel from this point. Inside the grounds, the crowds are flooding in, with refreshments the priority for many with the temperatures already ramping up. It's rare to see Henman Hill this quiet at any point during the fortnight - but it's easy to see why spectators might be putting off reserving their spot a little while with the sun already beating down and no cover available. Update: Date: 10:50 BST Title: Live scores, results and order of play Content: The first few days of Wimbledon can be a little bit chaotic with so many matches going on. That's not made easier this year by the fact that we have 23 British players to keep tabs on. If you are keen to keep across live scores, results and order of play, then click here and you'll find our dedicated page. Update: Date: 10:49 BST Title: 'Like being in a parallel universe' Content: Harry PooleBBC Sport First place in the Wimbledon queue for 2025 goes to... Team Wales! Vicki and Nigel from Neath have taken the number one and number two tickets after arriving on Friday at midday. That might seem a long wait but they have loved every minute - and they had plenty of motivation. The pair want to watch Carlos Alcaraz - and I think they're safe on that front - but they also hail from the same tennis club as British player Mimi Xu and hope to give her some support too. They are veterans of the queue - Nigel has been doing this since the 1980s! - and their previous best positions together were numbers five and six, but this time they will be the first to buy their tickets for Monday's action. "We've met people from all over the world, just chatting, away and getting to know people. It's been lovely and the weather's been so nice," said Vicki. "It's just nice to just be able to take time out of everything else. It's like being in a parallel universe. "It's a community of people, all with a common goal. There's never any problems in the queue. The stewards run it so well. "You know, the world's crazy at the moment. But it's like you take time out from that and you're all just talking about tennis, you're talking about where you come from, how long did it take you to get here, how long you're staying for, and it's just lovely, it's really nice." Update: Date: 10:47 BST Title: 'Very special times' Content: Tim HenmanFormer British number one on BBC TV You can just feel the atmosphere on the first morning, getting ready for the players to get under way, it is very special times. Update: Date: 10:45 BST Title: Open for business Content: Gary RoseBBC Sport at Wimbledon The gates opened at 10am on the dot and it was all very civilised as the fans made their way through security checks and into the ground - it's too hot really to get a quick walk on to get to the best spots. Jacob Fearnley, one of the 14 Brits in action today, says he still gets goosebumps when he comes through the gates into the grounds and it is easy to see why as there's nowhere quite like Wimbledon. Update: Date: 10:43 BST Title: British teenage trio creating Wimbledon history Content: For the first time this century, there will be three British players aged 17 and under in the women's singles draw at Wimbledon. Mika Stojsavljevic, Hannah Klugman and Mimi Xu have been rewarded with main-draw wildcards and are all playing on day one. Stojsavljevic, 16, has made the most notable progress, having won the US Open girls' title last year. Last month, Klugman, also 16, became the first Briton in almost 50 years to reach the French Open girls' final. The 17-year-old Xu is ranked just outside the world's top 300 and has already beaten two top-100 opponents on the grass this year. Now, having got their GCSE and A-Level exams out of the way, the trio are focusing on their Wimbledon senior debuts. Update: Date: 10:39 BST Title: Wimbledon's top accessory... Content: Update: Date: 10:34 BST Title: Follow the 'Q' Content: Harry PooleBBC Sport When people arrive at Wimbledon queue, this is what they are looking out for - and they will hope it's not too far from the front of the line. The back of the queue is marked by a large 'Q' flag, below which the Wimbledon stewards direct everyone to where they will begin their wait. Each member of the queue receives a queue card marking their place, and they were permitted to leave for up to 30 minutes to collect refreshments. There was music, ball games, food being delivered, the drinks were flowing, and friendships were being made between people from all around the world. The overnight campers are woken up at around 05:30 BST in the morning to allow time for packing up and leaving any belongings in the left luggage area, before the final wait to see what tickets they will get... Update: Date: 10:30 BST Title: Watch live Content: BBC Two As well as enjoying our live text coverage you can also watch the action at Wimbledon over the next two weeks on the BBC. Build-up to day one is now live on BBC Two and iPlayer for you to enjoy, with play due to begin at 11:00BST. Update: Date: 10:28 BST Title: Will 'sport's best-dressed officials' be missed at Wimbledon? Content: Thomas Sweeney's first incentive to become a line judge was the offer of a free sandwich. For Pauline Eyre, who called the lines at Wimbledon for 16 years, some natty blazers and the chance to buy tickets for the tournament were the main recompense for work she had to take annual leave to do. Nowadays the best officials might earn up to £200 a day plus expenses. But line judging has never been about the money for those who spend hours leaning forward, hands resting on knees, staring intently at a line of chalk to determine in a split second on which side of it the yellow ball has bounced. Being so close to Jana Novotna on Centre Court that she could see her foot shaking on the first point of a Wimbledon final or being "psyched out" by John McEnroe were priceless experiences for Eyre. "It's all the tradition of Wimbledon – the people and the funny uniforms – and that's a bit of personality that's gone," said Eyre. "I think it's all of those little things that made Wimbledon Wimbledon." Traditionalists will miss them, but technology fans will point to progress. BBC Sport has been finding out what umpires, players and line judges make of the move. Update: Date: 10:23 BST Title: Post Content: Jess AndersonBBC Sport at Wimbledon The courts are looking absolutely pristine as ever as the All England Club gets ready for two weeks of drama, action, entertainment, Pimm's and strawberries. In less than an hour's time these courts will be packed with excited punters all waiting to get a glimpse of the best players in the world. At these early stages of the tournament it doesn't matter if you haven't got a ticket for the show courts, there's just as much brilliant action to be seen on the outside more intimate settings. It's first come, first served though so no time for messing around if you want a good seat. Update: Date: 10:19 BST Title: What is the prize money this year? Content: Wimbledon will offer record £53.5m total prize money in 2025 - an increase of 7.1%. The men's and women's singles champions will each take home £3m, with the £38.8m fund available to players in those draws representing a 8.2% increase on 2024. First-round losers in the men's and women's singles are guaranteed to walk away with £66,000 - 10% more than in 2024. Winners of the wheelchair singles events - men's, women's and quad - will each take home £68,000, which is up by 4.6%. Update: Date: 10:16 BST Title: Post Content: Speaking of the queue... There are now over 10,000 people waiting to get in at Wimbledon and The All England Club are advising people not to travel here. Update: Date: 10:08 BST Title: Welcome to the queue! Content: Harry PooleBBC Sport Welcome to the Wimbledon queue, that quintessentially British phenomenon which each year signals the dawn of a new Championships at the All England Club. Crowds have been arriving since as early as Friday afternoon to secure one of the limited number of show court tickets on offer, and spirits remained high despite the long wait and toasty temperatures when I first stopped by on Sunday evening. For thousands of people, this is the doorway to the promised land, and an annual rite of passage for some of tennis' biggest fans. Nobody does queuing quite like the Brits. Update: Date: 10:06 BST Title: Alcaraz opens Centre Court Content: As Wimbledon tradition dictates, men's champion Carlos Alcaraz opens play on Centre Court. The second seed launches his campaign at 13:30 BST as he faces 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini. German third seed Alexander Zverev faces France's Arthur Rinderknech. On Court One, Belarusian top seed Aryna Sabalenka gets play under way against Canadian Carson Branstine at 13:00 BST. Branstine, 24, got past French Open semi-finalist Lois Boisson and former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu in qualifying and will be making her main draw debut in a Grand Slam. Update: Date: 10:02 BST Title: British hopes Content: We're just shy of an hour away from the first ball being hit at the 138th edition of the Wimbledon Championships. There are 23 British players in the main draws across the men's and women's singles - the highest involvement since 1984 - and a healthy 14 of them are in action on the opening day. Among those featuring today are Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Cameron Norrie and qualifier Oliver Tarvet.
The Sun
39 minutes ago
- The Sun
Wrexham ‘closing in on 44-cap ex-Liverpool star' as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney fund latest promotion bid
WREXHAM want Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward as they gear up for their first Championship campaign in nearly four decades. The Dragons are making moves to add experience and youth to their squad and it's a homecoming signing that has got fans buzzing. 4 4 Ex-Leicester City and Liverpool keeper Danny Ward is set to undergo a medical with the Dragons on Monday, with the 44-cap Welsh stopper poised to join on a free transfer, according to reports. The 32-year-old, who was born in Wrexham and came through the club's academy, will rival former Arsenal kid Arthur Okonkwo for the No1 spot between the posts. And fans will be thrilled at the return of a player who went on to lift both the FA Cup and Championship title with Leicester. Ward never made a senior appearance for the North Walians before joining Liverpool in 2012. But his career has seen stints at Morecambe, Aberdeen, Huddersfield, and eventually Leicester, where he racked up 52 appearances. Now, after the Foxes' drop to the second tier he could face his old club again but this time in Wrexham red. It's the latest chapter in a Hollywood fairytale since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over in 2020. Since then, the club has rocketed from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Last term, Phil Parkinson's men finished second in League One behind Birmingham City, securing automatic promotion and a long-awaited return to the second tier for the first time since the 1980s. They'll kick off the new campaign away at Southampton on August 9 and Parkinson is keen to ensure his side are fully equipped for the step up. Wrexham have already splashed £700,000 on Ryan Hardie from Plymouth to boost their frontline. They have also seen big names move on, Paul Mullin has joined Wigan on loan, Steven Fletcher was released, Sam Dalby is now at Bolton, and Will Boyle has signed for Shrewsbury. But the addition of Ward is an indication that they want to add experience to the their squad as they plot another remarkable promotion story that will take them to the Premier League. 4
