British tennis hope Emma Raducanu is thrilled to be back at Wimbledon after missing last year’s tournament due to injuries. The 2021 US Open champion’s career skyrocketed after her stunning victory, but she’s faced numerous injury setbacks since.

Last year, Raducanu was sidelined from her home Grand Slam following surgeries on her hands and ankle. Instead of competing, she found herself entertaining VIP guests in hospitality suites. Reflecting on this challenging period, Raducanu shared, “Last year, I was actually on the other side doing a lot of suite visits, hospitality. It was really hard because you would walk through the same player tunnel, see your peers going to practice, going to play their match.”

Raducanu, now fully fit, has been handed a wildcard entry and will face 22nd-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova on Centre Court. Expressing her joy to be competing again, she said, “For me to be on this side of it this year is just super special. Just so happy to be out on the grass.”

Despite her struggles with consistency, Raducanu’s recent performance at Eastbourne, where she reached the quarterfinals and defeated top players like Sloane Stephens and Jessica Pegula, has boosted her confidence. “I think the Eastbourne week, it was really helpful in getting some top-level matches, and also to get a really good win in the second round. Yeah, my best win to date. I think I should take a lot of confidence from that,” she said.

Raducanu acknowledges the challenge ahead, describing herself as the underdog against the experienced Alexandrova. “I think that she’s got great weapons. On this surface, on grass, it only amplifies big weapons. I’m actually the complete underdog because she’s a lot older, a lot more experienced, ranked a lot higher.”

As she prepares to take Centre Court on Monday, Raducanu is ready to embrace the support of the home crowd and aims to make her mark at Wimbledon once again.

Emma Raducanu in 2024

Now ranked no.168, Raducanu played her last match on the 27^th of June when she was overcome by world no.14 Darya Kasatkina 6-2 6-2 in the quarter in Eastbourne (draw).

At present, during this year the Brit achieved a 13-9 match record. Emma Raducanu’s most significant performance of the current year was getting to the semifinal in Nottingham.

Emma Raducanu will compete against the world no.22 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the 1^st round on Monday at 4:30 pm on Centre Court. They have never competed against each other until now in top tournaments.