Emma Raducanu’s road to Wimbledon begins in the best way possible
QUEEN’S — Less than 24 hours on from the greatest tennis match in recent memory, Emma Raducanu helped open the grass-court season at Queen’s in far less high-stakes circumstances.
The French Open final this was not: there were just 1,000 people watching, she had to fetch her own drinks and it wasn’t even televised, but everyone seemed to enjoy this distinctly understated start to the British sporting summer.
Not quite everyone, actually. Those who had tickets for Centre and hoped that Raducanu’s entry to the doubles draw might mean they got an added bonus on Monday afternoon were left disappointed.
That winning feeling for Boulter-canu! 😄
Brits Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu proved a top partnership in doubles at Queen’s 🇬🇧 🎾 pic.twitter.com/x8Fe3H316Q
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 9, 2025
Queen’s organisers put Raducanu and Katie Boulter on Court 1, which doesn’t even have seats on two sides of the court, although it is understood their hands were tied by contractual agreements with the women’s tour.
The newly-named Andy Murray Arena and therefore BBC Two hosted British No 3 Sonay Kartal’s clash with Daria Kasatkina instead.
The lack of big crowd or any TV coverage made for a low-key return to the grass courts that Raducanu has not graced since a fourth-round defeat to Lulu Sun at Wimbledon last year.
“I think sometimes on the smaller courts you get a bigger feel for the match and the atmosphere and the environment because it’s a lot closer, more intimate, and you hear the support more,” Raducanu insisted, who found herself in amongst the crowd at one point.
“For me, I love playing on those smaller, outside courts where you really feel the support and the crowd gets into it. I was filling my bottle up, and I was literally having a chat in the stands, because that’s how close it is. But I think it puts a really nice feel to it.
“Andy Murray Arena, hopefully we’ll get to play on it for our matches tomorrow.”
It was a surprise to see Raducanu on the doubles court, just her second tour appearance in the format, given she has been hit by a recurrence of the back spasms that have troubled her on and off since December.
A more limited match schedule might have made sense, but the spirit it was played in made it little more than a practise run.
Boulter and Raducanu, rivals but increasingly good friends, laughed and joked their way through two closer sets than the 6-4, 6-2 scoreline suggested.
There were 17 break point opportunities in total, but the Brits broke four times in total to claim victory.
It is unlikely to be a long-term partnership, although such occasions will go a long way towards rehabilitating Raducanu’s relationship with professional tennis that has been battered and bruised since her US Open victory by injury, loss of form, coaching changes and finally a horrifying brush with a stalker in the Middle East that has left her “wary” of travelling outside the tennis bubble.
But with Boulter by her side, Raducanu laughed her way through a post-match news conference, one stage she has not necessarily always relished.
“We’re going for the Wimbledon title!” Boulter joked before quickly going back on the pair’s future.
It is a marked contrast to the days of Raducanu’s last appearance on grass: she controversially pulled out of the Wimbledon mixed doubles with Andy Murray, leaving him stranded in retirement, before losing to qualifier Sun while also hampered by injury, on that occasion a wrist problem.
She briefly became public enemy No 1 in British tennis, drawing the wrath of Judy Murray among others, and even last month was telling reporters she hopes “he’s forgiven me for last year”.
The two may well have crossed paths in the players’ lounge on Monday, Murray having been on site to open the court that now bears his name to rapturous applause, even more so when he hit a few balls with Laura Robson and some local children.
Raducanu will play her first match on there on Tuesday against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, and hope for the same hero’s welcome.
