Emma Raducanu offers Wimbledon a crucial memory of what it should mean to support them

The past four years have been strange for Emma Raducanu. On the one hand, she has long tried to regain the form of her breakthrough season when she reached the fourth round in Wimbledon before defeating a breathtaking victory at the US Open. On the other hand, she tried to distance herself from this campaign from 2021, and the consensus among many in the tennis world is that the 22-year-old should not hold on to these standards.

However, it was difficult to take this fascinating first appearance in SW19 out of the head when the Brit was opposed to Markta Vondrousova on Wednesday – the same player that she defeated on the same stage four years ago.

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It was even more difficult to put memories of this dizzying summer aside when Raducanu achieved the same result.

This was also a refreshing relapse when it was an occasion for the anniversary, not the dismay. For so long, the conversations about Raducanu have been more than anything else about Raducanu about injury issues, inconsistencies with coaches and unfortunately a stalker – especially than anything.

But this collision with VonDrousova was one reason to be positive. Not necessarily to make the distinction, to be a cause hopeful, Because the latter word can still be bound with the oppressive expectations that have been cleaning the experience of supporting Raducanu for a long time. Rather, this felt like a day to enjoy how Raducanu played well when she enjoyed her tennis.

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On a day on which rainy delays meant a merciful break from the scorching heat, this match was a merciful break from what has become an Emma Raducanu experience. This was a memory of what the Emma Raducanu experience can be.

In fact, Raducanu made her debut in the All England Club last year and made the fourth round in her second endeavor in a major behind her triumph in New York City. Vondrousova raised the Wimbledon trophy in 2023. The Czech was therefore not just a familiar enemy for Raducanu, but a familiar face for the center of Court.

Here, however, the 26-year-old often wore a frustrated face and may hardly feel more than one spectator when Raducanu prompted her to defeat with straight-line sets.

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There was a slight preference for Raducanu, but no unit, because she decided against over -civil servants for net approaches. When she started to feel a discomfort in Vondrousova, Raducanu showed more conviction. Or maybe it was the other way around. In any case, Raducanu mixed a versatile selection of shots with the necessary aggression to force VoROUSOVA to be wrong until the break occurred and Raducanu gave a 4-2 lead.

Perhaps Raducanu had not yet calibrated the scales of skill and aggression; She lacked a little ruthlessness when she was broken back by Vondrousova.

Nevertheless, Raducanu improved and brought the double break in Vondrousova’s next service game. The Czech saved both before saving a third with an ace. But she had created the third with a double mistake, and another of those who presented the home favorite a fourth break point.

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In the simplest indication of this, the amount was not rough, as if I didn’t want to put pressure on the 22-year-old if that is not too deep the dynamic. But the fans exhibited their loudest cheers, the Raducanu’s break from Soundtrack when she finally moved to 5-3. Raducanu himself has the moment with a emphatic “Come on!”

And this amount of Court, which might want to master Raducanu with care, easily chose the volume when it converted the setpoint for the third time after the question. If both players had difficulty being ruthless at the service, it was Raducanu who made it to the decisive connection.

At 0: 30 in the first game of the second set, the ball was nothing more than a neon green blurring when Raducanu crossed him for a winner, a picture that would repeat itself in the course of the game. There were even shades of her future double partner Carlos Alcaraz when she casually nudged a drop shot over the network of further back, although it hardly landed in the chalk.

In 1: 1 in the second set, a break point around the British begged, then another one other than she desperately cut the tape, but not the happiness of the fall. But the “ooo ‘s around the ground became” Woo “when Raducanu was converted in their third attempt, and Ecstasy diffused through the grandstands.

The crowd struggled to contain yourself when victory became a clear view, and that could mark a relapse: a quick return to the Raducanu viewing experience to connect to the result. Nevertheless, Raducanu gave the fans the reason to be hopeful.

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And from there everything was so … simple. 2-1 was 3-1 and soon 4-2. Even when Raducanu lost the crowd, he brought the crowd to the crowd, returned two strokes and almost made a trilogy of escape. A few points later, Raducanu did the same again, but this time it found the right praise to put VonDrousova on the back foot before turning the tables in the corner with a backhand winner.

With 5-3 Raducanu brought Breaking Point and suddenly Match Point, and the crowd could not contain before the point was even played. They had more reason to cheer and whistle cheers seconds later when Raducanu sealed the victory.

It was to be described that Raducanu was asked in court after her victory whether this was the “old” Emma. That brings us back to the beginning of this article. Raducanu decided not to address this element of the narrative, but said: “The support, it was incredible, I really felt it today. The atmosphere was electrical and I am just very happy that I can play another game here.”

Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1, is waiting in the next round, but this is another game on another day. For the time being, let’s focus on the cheers and memory of what the Emma Raducanu experience can be.