Just a couple of weeks before the start of Wimbledon, Raducanu made one statement that made all the headlines in Great Britain – she said that winning The Championships would happen either this year or sometime in the future. “I feel good. I’m playing well and I’m training really hard, I’m doing a lot of good things and I know it’s going to happen. If not this Wimbledon, the next Wimbledon,” Raducanu told Grazia before this year’s Wimbledon.
After experiencing massive criticism and scrutiny over the last few years, Raducanu has often preached patience since starting her comeback at the start of this season. And after a grass season that saw her clinch her first two top-10 wins – make her first WTA semifinal since 2022 in Nottingham – reach the Wimbledon round-of-16 and secure a top-100 return for the first time in 15 months, the Briton said she was satisfied and noted that she was keen on trusting the process and not rushing anything.
“I beat two top-10 players within two weeks [Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne and Maria Sakkari in Wimbledon third round], which is a pretty big deal for me, seeing as the whole US Open even I didn’t play one top-10 player,” Raducanu said when reflecting on her grass season.
“I think I have to take confidence from that. Six months ago when I was starting out after surgery, I would have signed for fourth round at Wimbledon.
“Of course I’m disappointed. Of course I want more. I think everything does happen for a reason. It just fuels the fire and makes me more hungry. You don’t want things to happen too easily and too quickly. I had that before [with US Open success]. I don’t necessarily want just a massive spike.
“I think I’m working there, tracking in the right direction. That desire and fire is back. I just want to keep building on that.”
