Breaking News: Emma Raducanu faces huge criticism by British Tennis over Andy Murray’s…
Dan Evans didn’t want to be too harsh in his criticism of Emma Raducanu but made it clear to the 21-year-old that her act toward Andy Murray wasn’t fair and that she should learn from it and do better next time if she finds herself in a similar situation.
Last Wednesday, Raducanu confirmed the reports that she accepted to play mixed doubles with Murray in his Wimbledon farewell. Addressing her decision, an ecstatic Raducanu said she had no second thoughts after Murray reached out with his invitation.
But then on Saturday, Raducanu pulled out of the mixed doubles event – citing wrist soreness – just before their scheduled opening match. And since Murray didn’t compete in the singles event and had already lost in the men’s doubles tournament with his brother Jamie Murray, Raducanu’s withdrawal also meant an end to his farewell at The Championships.
Reacting to the news on X, Judy Murray used the word “astonishing” – but after the media quickly picked up the story – she later defended herself by insisting she wasn’t taking a jab at Raducanu but was just being “sarcastic.”
Evans to Raducanu: Should have been fully committed in this situation…
“It’s just unfortunate how it played out, with Emma pulling out a few hours before their match on Court No 1 because she had a sore wrist. Of course the singles is a player’s priority – the prize money on offer is substantially more – and that will always be Emma’s main focus,” Evans wrote in a column for The Daily Mail.
“But once you agree to play doubles with someone – especially in a special situation like this – then you should be fully committed to it. I recently played doubles with Andy at Roland-Garros and he waited around all week to play with me, having been knocked out in the singles.
“I can’t blame Emma for pulling out but there’s a lesson in there about not committing unless you’re 100 percent on board.”
After Raducanu suffered a surprise round-of-16 loss to Lulu Sun on Sunday, Raducanu said she was “standing by her decision” because everyone knows her injury history and she simply felt that playing that particular day would have been too risky.
Jelena Ostapenko gets brutally honest on if she was surprised by Iga Swiatek exit
Ostapenko faced Yulia Putintseva in the Wimbledon round-of-16 after the Kazakh upset Swiatek.
Jelena Ostapenko probably didn’t give an answer some reporters were expecting to hear from her as the Latvian tennis star said she wasn’t surprised at all that Yulia Putintseva was really competitive against Iga Swiatek and ultimately managed to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
On Saturday, top-seeded Swiatek exited Wimbledon in the third round after world No. 35 Putintseva saw off the five-time Grand Slam champion 3-6 6-1 6-2. That same day, world No. 14 Ostapenko safely earned a round-of-16 spot after dismantling Bernarda Pera 6-1 6-3.
While the Swiatek loss was shocking, it was also disappointing for many fans who were hoping to see the Pole take on Ostapenko in the Wimbledon round-of-16. Even though Swiatek has been undoubtedly the best player in the game for the past two and a half years and has accomplished a lot, she still hasn’t beaten one player – Ostapenko. Had an Ostapenko and Swiatek Wimbledon match happened, the 27-year-old Latvian would have entered with a 4-0 head-to-head record against the Pole.
But instead, Ostapenko faced Putintseva and easily made it past the 29-year-old Kazakh 6-2 6-3.
After overcoming Putintseva, 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko was asked if she was surprised about avoiding Swiatek.
“I honestly knew it wasn’t going to be an easy match. Especially because Yulia won Birmingham. She can be dangerous on grass. She can play different tennis. She can slice and do different things. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy match for Iga. Especially because grass isn’t her favorite surface. I was ready for both opponents. I was just trying to focus on my game and what I have to do,” Ostapenko said.
Ostapenko’s warning for her Wimbledon competition
Through the opening four matches at The All England Club, Ostapenko hasn’t dropped a single set. And not only that all of those four wins came in straight sets, they were also pretty dominant since the Latvian hasn’t lost more than a total of five games in every of her four matches played.
“This is one of my favorite tournaments. I won it in juniors. I have great memories. We’re in a different place now. But I’m just really happy with my performance. I’m enjoying my time here so much. Thank you guys. I love to be here.”
“I feel like I’m playing really good players but my level is really good in deciding moments especially. And I’m just tying to play my game and be aggressive in those deciding moments. I think that’s the key. I think so far I’m doing pretty okay.”
Ostapenko, who became a Grand Slam champion at 19, has been playing very aggressively at Wimbledon and admits returning to her old style but in a more mature approach is one of the keys to her strong run.
“I think I have more confidence and I am more mature on the court, especially in this tournament. I know what I have to do and I am doing it quite well, especially in the decisive moments. I am just doing things the way I have been doing before, like when I won Roland Garros when I was back in the top 10. I feel like I am doing things better than before,” Ostapenko explained.
Ostapenko makes a claim about grass courts
Ostapenko may be having an absolutely great Wimbledon run but shares that she and other players believe the grass courts at The All England Club have been more slippery this year than was the case in the past.
“In the locker room we have talked about how this year the grass is a bit more slippery than before,” Ostapenko shared.
Meanwhile, Ostapenko is set to take on 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in the Wimbledon quarterfinal. When they meet, it will be their eighth meeting as Ostapenko leads their head-to-head 5-2. And not only that the Latvian has a positive head-to-head versus Krejcikova, she also beat the 28-year-old Czech in their lone grass meeting in Eastbourne last year.
While Ostapenko probably has the edge in their meeting, former world No. 2 Krejcikova is feeling fully healthy again and ready to play the Latvian.
“I’m definitely looking forward to that match. I’m for the first time in quarterfinals, and we’re going to celebrate it tonight, have some good food,” Krejcikova said ahead of the Ostapenko match.
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