Emma Raducanu shrugged off talk of pressure on her shoulders as “a joke” and insisted reaching the second round of Wimbledon was something to be proud of.
Living up to the hype has proved impossible for the 19-year-old so far and, a year after rocketing to stardom with a run to the fourth round and then achieving the unthinkable in New York, she slipped to a meek 6-3 6-3 loss to France’s Caroline Garcia on Centre Court.
It was undoubtedly an anti-climax but hardly surprising given the results Raducanu has had since her US Open triumph and, most significantly, the side strain that severely disrupted her preparations. “I didn’t feel anything out there,” the British number one said of the injury. “I declared myself fully fit when I walked out onto the court on the first day. “But I’ve played seven hours of tennis in a month.
To even compete with these girls at this level and win a round I think is a pretty good achievement. “Obviously it’s tough to lose any match but I think that Caroline played a great match.