Emma Raducanu made a winning start to her Wimbledon campaign after beating Mimi Xu in the first round.
Raducanu cast doubts over her Wimbledon prospects this year, with an ongoing back injury continuing to hamper the progress of the 2021 US Open champion.
There is also the additional pressure for Raducanu of having to defend 240 points from her Wimbledon run last year, which could see her status as British number one at risk with Katie Boulter closing in.
Despite this, Raducanu was able to comfortably beat her compatriot and progress into the second round of Wimbledon once again.
Emma Raducanu explains why she kept changing her racket against Mimi Xu
While the back issue was not evident during Raducanu’s, 6-3 6-3, victory over her compatriot Xu, there was something notable during the opening couple of games during the match.
Raducanu was seen switching her racket three times during the opening two games of her match on Court No.1, and also did so in the warm-up.
When asked about why she kept doing this in her post-match press conference, Raducanu explained that nerves contributed to her decision to want a more tightly strung racket.
“I just felt the rackets were flying a little bit,” said Raducanu. “The first couple of shots in the warm-up I was like this is just pinging and if you are a little bit nervous especially it’s not nice to feel like the ball is flying off your strings, you want a little bit more grip.
“I sent one off, so I sent one off to get strung a bit tighter and then I started changing every ball change but it was pretty lively out there.”
Emma Raducanu says what she remembers about her last match against Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon
Next up for Raducanu will be 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who has become one of the favourites for the title after her victory in Berlin.
This will not be the first time that Raducanu has played Vondrousova in the second round of Wimbledon, beating the Czech in her breakout run back in 2021.
When looking back on that match, Raducanu admitted that it was ‘one of the best’ she has played.
“I remember I played really good tennis,” said Raducanu. “I remember I played one of the best matches I played. I was so aggressive and took the ball on. Since she has won the Wimbledon title and had a lot more success of grass.
“I remember that was a big change and turning option for me but I am looking forward again to being in the second round and having that opportunity.”
Their head-to-head has flipped on its head since, with Vondrousova beating Raducanu on clay in 2022 and on the hard courts of Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
Raducanu will look to source some of the tennis she found in 2021 against Vondrousova when they play their second round Wimbledon match on Wednesday, July 2.
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