EMMA RADUCANU wants to create another masterpiece at Wimbledon.
At the most challenging time of her season, Raducanu will try to relax this fortnight by going for long walks “to destress”.
And in her spare time at Wimbledon, she is reading books on art history as part of an online course.
French 19th century painter Claude Monet, a master of the Impressionist era, is someone whose work she is starting to appreciate more.
The world No.38 said: “I’m just doing a course, I have a year to do it and it’s good. It gives me something different to do.
“A lot of my subjects at school growing up were so quantitative – maths and economics.
“To do art history is completely different. You have to challenge your brain and ways of thinking that it wasn’t used to.
“It’s quite challenging. I actually quite like it. I have to learn so many broader topics.
“You have to pick apart and analyse every single thing in the painting. It’s interesting. It’s really fascinating.
“I have a greater appreciation for Monet and the Impressionist era. I didn’t really take as much notice of that era of painting before. Now, I can appreciate what they’re able to do.
“It’s art history, and there’s a section on the Renaissance and there’s a section on sculptures and architecture as well. But I’m not at that part yet.”
It is four years since Raducanu made history by winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier for which she banked £1.8million.
It has been a difficult year for the British tennis superstar, who has had mixed results on the court and some troublesome issues off it.
Her coach Nick Cavaday, a long-term friend from her childhood, quit her set-up due to health reasons after the Australian Open in January.
Then Raducanu was approached by a stalker that had followed her to Dubai, an episode that saw her burst into tears.
And only last week she was crying again in public, this time at Eastbourne after receiving “some pretty bad news”.
Yet in spite of the trials and tribulations she has encountered, Raducanu approaches her fourth Wimbledon determined to smile throughout and live in the moment.
Raducanu said: “I want to really embody just having a good time and feel joy.
“I’ve recently realised that what we do is for such a short amount of time and it’ll go before we know it.
“I was actually listening to Ana Ivanovic say the same thing. She said she wished she had enjoyed it more.
Ladies’ singles draw in full
- Sabalenka v Branstine
- Raducanu v Xu
- Vondrousova v Kessler
- Mertens v Fruhvirtova
- Li v Golubic
- Gracheva v Sasnovich
- Boulter v Badosa
- Minnen vs Gadecki
- Todoni vs Bucsa
- Birrel v Vekic
- Fernandez v Klugman
- Stearns v Siegemund
- Danilov v Zhang
- Ruse v Keys
- Paolini v Sevastova
- Rakhimova v Ito
- Lys v Yuan
- Pera v Noskova
- Haddad Maia v Sramkova
- Dart v Galfi
- Wickmayer v Zarazua
- Putintseva v Anisimova
- Shnaider v Uchijima
- Parry v Martic
- Tomova v Jabeur
- Kartal v Ostapenko
- Krueger v Stojsavljevic
- Pavlyuchenkova v Tomljanovic
- Osaka v Gibson
- Siniakova v Zheng
- Andreeva v Sherif
- Teichmann v Bronzetti
- Bapiste v Cirstea
- Potapova v Frech
- Krejcikoba v Eala
- Dolehide v Rus
- Kudermetova v Zhu
- Kvitova v Navarro
- Mucholva v Wang
- Sonmez v Cristian
- Lamens v Jovic
- Hon v Alexandrova
- Linette v Jacquemot
- Parks v Bencic
- Volynets v Maria
- Cocciaretto v Pegula
- Swiatek v Kudermetova
- McNally v Burrage
- Osorio v Collins
- Erjavec v Kostyuk
- Tauson v Watson
- Kalinskaya v Stojanovic
- Sakkari v Blinkova
- Avanesyan v Rybakina
- Kasatkina v Arango
- Begu v Juvan
- Starodubtseva v Jones
- Joint v Samsonova
- Kenin v Townsend
- Bouzas Maneiro v Seidel
- Azarenka v Zakharova
- Yastremska v Gauff
“Sometimes I want to go into the future and think: ‘Oh, my god, am I going to regret not enjoying this moment?’
“I’m 22 now. So I’m kind of like living for that person, to not have any regrets to look back on.
“I want to bring joy to what I do and enjoy this time, because it’s going to go by really fast.”
Stepping on Wimbledon grass on Monday against British teenager Mimi Xu brings with it enormous pressure and expectation.
But Raducanu, one of the most scrutinised female athletes on the planet, is relishing the return to the biggest stage.
The Kent star said: “It’s a big occasion every year. Something that brings a lot of excitement, it brings a lot of buzz.
“And that buzz of winning at Wimbledon, honestly not much beats it. So I’m really looking forward to it.
“At the same time, you do feel a bit of pressure. You do feel a bit nervous but in a good way.
“If you’re able to channel that and use it to focus yourself in the matches, then it’s helpful, because sometimes if you’re too loose, too relaxed, you’re not as locked in on the court.”
Wimbledon Ticket Options
There are a range of ways to get into Wimbledon as one of the only major sporting events in the world that offer sought-after tickets on the day of the event…
The Queue
As one of the only major sporting events that allows guests to purchase tickets on the day of the event, demand is high.
Each day a large queue forms of people wanting either a Grounds or Show Court ticket – with many even arriving the night before and camping to guarantee a place.
Upon arrival, visitors are issued a Queue Card, which is numbered and dated and should be kept until a ticket has been purchased.
While there is a limited number of entries, it is possible to remain in the queue and wait for people already inside to leave, with those tickets then becoming available.
It is also possible to check the status of the queue on the Wimbledon website.
This year, organisers are asking potential queuers to download the Wimbledon app and create a myWimbledon account.
Show Tickets
If you get to the front of the queue, then there are a limited number of tickets available for purchase for Centre Court and Courts 1, 2 and 3.
Note that Centre Court tickets are available for the first 10 days of the tournament, the final four days were already pre-sold.
Prices vary depending on the Court, seat and day of the event and will increase the further into the tournament you visit.
For example, Centre Court rows A-T cost £105 on Day 1 and £315 on Day 14 (men’s final).
Grounds Pass
A Grounds Pass costs £30 and allows visitors to watch matches on Courts 3-18 on unreserved seats, though there will also be a queue to get into Court 3.
Ticket Resale
From 3pm each day, tickets may become available from people who have left Wimbledon and made their seat available.
A Grounds Pass is needed to join the virtual queue on the Wimbledon App.
Tickets cost £15 for Centre Court or £10 for Courts 1/2.
Hospitality
There are a range of hospitality packages still available on the Wimbledon website.
Hospitality packages offer guaranteed premium seating to major matches as well as fine dining experiences, complimentary drinks, a shuttle and concierge service.
Hospitality packages can also be purchased via Seat Unique.
Secondary Markets
Sites such as StubHub offer tickets for the main courts for specific days and times.
*Please note that StubHub and similar secondary ticket resale sites may list tickets above face value.*
Cavaday will not be courtside but Mark Petchey – a respected TV analyst – will be in the stands, orchestrating her training plans and giving out orders.
Raducanu axed Vladimir Platenik as coach after one match in Miami after it was revealed the Slovakian had previously branded the prospect of working with her as “coaching suicide” in an interview.
Working with people who knew her before she became mega famous is something she values.
Trust is an important element when it comes to whom she lets into her inner circle having been burned in the past.
Raducanu said: “You’re not going to feel so comfortable all the time.
“To have those moments where you maybe open up and you’re honest and you show a bit of vulnerability, you kind of only want to do that with people you’re close to and can trust.
“You don’t want to do the same or go into the same detail, if it’s someone you don’t fully trust.
“Sometimes also maybe your behaviour isn’t perfect, so for them to kind of know that it’s not personal.
“You’re just kind of carrying a certain amount, and you just need to let certain things out. It’s very helpful to know they’re not going to take it personally.
“In the past, I couldn’t speak out really, because I didn’t want what I said to kind of be shared and spoken and gossiped about.
“Because you know how Chinese whispers go. It’s just exaggerated and things are twisted.”
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