Wimbledon star issues complaint after facing Emma Raducanu – 'It's not pleasant'

Emma Raducanu has enjoyed a dominant start to Wimbledon, as she's reached the second round of the tournament in consecutive years. The 2021 US Open champion is gearing up for her next challenge on Friday afternoon where she challenges world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.

Despite the odds being stacked against her, the 22-year-old Brit can count on the unwavering support from the Centre Court crowd to cheer her on, having felt the depth of the love throughout the first two rounds.

Raducanu, who enjoys the backing of the home fans at Wimbledon, played to their delight on Wednesday, dispatching Marketa Vondrousova with a solid 6-3, 6-3 win. It's been nearly half a century since a female British player has won the Championships, and the local support is more eager than ever for another triumph.

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Vondrousova, however, expressed her exasperation at the overwhelming support for Raducanu during their match, reports the Express. Post-match, the Czech player reflected on the experience, saying: "It's very difficult with her in the centre, it seems to me that she's a complete idol here.

"The centre was packed and she was still teasing people and demanding that they support her. She was very excited herself, from the second ball she was shouting all over the court. It's obvious that she's enjoying it. It's just not pleasant. And when you play this well, you're in a good mood and it's hard to get out of it."

The Brit was wholly complimentary of his second-round opponent as she said: "I think that was one of the best matches I've played in a long time, which I'm very proud of. At the same time, I didn't feel like I was doing anything outrageous, which gives me a lot of confidence. I think I was just doing the basics very, very well.

"Having won against Marketa, she's also a really top opponent, so that gives me confidence for my level." Raducanu will likely require far more than crowd backing to overcome tournament favourite Sabalenka.

The pair have clashed just once before in competitive tennis - at this year's Indian Wells - where the Belarusian emerged victorious. Speaking ahead of their showdown, Raducanu admitted: "I definitely think playing Aryna, she's No. 1 in the world for a reason. You can't really do nothing or give nothing balls to her.

"I'm going to have to be aggressive but pick my moments and not be overly [aggressive]. I think you can fall into that trap, too. I don't think I'm going to go out there and out-power her, like size-wise and power-wise."

Raducanu dismissed the notions of holding onto pressure when taking on Sabalenka during her on-court interview but later added: "I don't think any athlete truly goes out there and doesn't expect anything of themselves.

"I have my own expectations of what I want to try to be able to do on my own side. In terms of result, I really don't. Especially today, I just want to take it in because I know how fleeting these moments are.

"It's just a really big, big honour and testament to the work I've done in the last few months with my team as well and the people I have around me to have this result."