British tennis legend Sue Barker has given Emma Raducanu some stern advice as she prepares to return to the Wimbledon court
It’s two years since Raducanu last featured at the All England Club, having been absent for the 2023 edition. Her last Wimbledon appearance came in 2022 when the former US Open winner was knocked out in the second round by Caroline Garcia.
And having qualified for this year’s edition via a wildcard pick, pressure is on the 21-year-old to perform. But former Wimbledon semi-finalist Barker believes Raducanu has had to deal with ‘unrealistic expectations’ since winning her first Grand Slam in 2021.
Speaking ahead of this summer’s championship, Barker told The Telegraph: “After New York, I think people had unrealistic expectations because we in tennis know how many young first-time champions there have been – [Bianca] Andreescu, [Jelena] Ostapenko, [Sofia] Kenin – who have had to adjust.
“The media pressures are more than it ever was in any other era. But now that all those expectations have lowered, I hope she can just start enjoying it again because when she burst onto the scene at that first Wimbledon she was a breath of fresh air
