Emma Raducanu believes that her historic US Open title run might never have happened, if it weren’t for Wimbledon bosses taking a chance on her.
The former world No. 10 is back on the British grass for the first time in two years and has already won her first match in Nottingham.
She is now gearing up to return to Wimbledon, where she got her big break before winning the US Open a few weeks later.
Three years ago, Raducanu was initially granted a wildcard into the qualifying event for Wimbledon. Ranked outside of the top 300, she had a good run at the ITF tournament in Nottingham and her then-coach Nigel Sears requested that her Wimbledon wildcard be upgraded directly into the main draw.
Their wish was granted by those making the decisions. After getting a free pass to play Wimbledon, an 18-year-old Raducanu stormed into the second week, beating Marketa Vondrousova – who went on to win Wimbledon in 2023 – en route. And the Brit has now hinted that her US Open win later that year may have been influenced by her run at the All England Club.
