The 18-year-old takes on Ajla Tomljanovic on Monday and her emergence has been aided by the public glare being less harsh
Tennis has a way of facilitating life-changing moments over the course of little more than a week with a few short matches, but the tale of 18-year-old Emma Raducanu is rare in its suddenness. Before this year’s grass season, Raducanu had never competed in the main draw of a top level tournament and she arrived at Wimbledon ranked No 338 in the world, having never faced a top 100 opponent. Although her talent has been cherished in British circles for a long time, she was relatively unknown beyond.
As Raducanu steps out to face Ajla Tomljanovic on No 1 Court on Monday, those days are over. Her story has defined the first week of Wimbledon and in some way it has been to her great advantage that it has happened at a time when players are sequestered in a hotel and away from the public.
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