Tournament near misses have helped Wales build and evolve
She won her first Wales cap in Switzerland 14 years ago and was part of teams that went close to qualifying for Euro 2022 and the 2023 World Cup.
Ladd said: 'It is frustrating when you're in those moments and you feel the team can do better.
'But I reflect on those campaigns under different managers and I believe it has built us up to where we are now.
'We've learned different styles and we've got different attributes as a group. We've been tested along the way and that experience has rolled into us being in a really good shape now.
'It helps us that we've got to a major tournament having been through all that heartache. We've evolved and with time we've added more layers to our game.
'Losing the World Cup play-off to Switzerland (to a last-gasp goal in extra time) hit hard, especially being in the back line, but I didn't feel in that game we're as confident as we are now.'
Ladd returns to Switzerland at the Euros having made her debut in the Swiss town of Saviese against New Zealand in June 2011.
Only team-mates Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle and Angharad James have won more caps than the 31-year-old.
She said: 'I've got such fond memories of that first camp. It was up one of their amazing mountains and it was magical getting my first cap there.
'To go back to Switzerland with this group, with all the hard work we've put in, is a really special moment.'
Wales, the lowest-ranked team at Euro 2025, are also in the same group as France and defending champions England.
Ladd was born in St Albans in Hertfordshire but qualified to play for Wales through her Haverfordwest-born father.
Prep time 🏃♀️ pic.twitter.com/PyxEMoFjCD
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) July 1, 2025
'I couldn't believe the draw,' said Ladd. 'I had to take another look and let it sink in.
'England is a derby game and the teams in our group are particularly good. But you realise it's the biggest stage and you're going to play the top teams.
'There's the added element that teams may underestimate us because the group is so strong, and that could play to our advantage. But there is no shying away from the quality of the teams in our group.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
17 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's tragic deaths show sport is nothing more than a joyful distraction from what truly matters
Jota will be remembered by the supporters of Liverpool forever A TRIBUTE TO JOTA Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's tragic deaths show sport is nothing more than a joyful distraction from what truly matters Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AT THIS time of year, with the transfer market abuzz, there is a tendency to view elite footballers as commodities. Their price-tags, fees, resale values and contract lengths are discussed by us all with the casual air of stockbrokers observing the gilt markets. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Liverpool star Jota has tragically died aged 28 Credit: REUTERS 9 He and his brother Andre Silva have sadly lost their lives in a car accident Credit: FC Porto And then on a sunny morning in early July, chilling news arrived from Spain which made all of that talk sound so trivial, so brutal, so cold. Diogo Jota — newly wed to Rute Cardoso, his childhood sweetheart and mother of his three children — was dead at 28. Jota was a freshly crowned champion of England with Liverpool and a mainstay of the Portugal team who had just won the Nations League again and are rated as dark horses for next summer's World Cup. But above all Jota was a human being, as fragile as the rest of us. A husband, a father, a son and a brother to Andre Silva — the 25-year-old fellow professional footballer who perished with him yesterday when a tyre blew and his Lamborghini burst into flames. Jota was at the peak of his powers and in the prime of his life — married for just 11 days, he had posted footage of his wedding on social media just hours before his death. The poignance was agonising; the grief of those left behind unimaginable. When the news of Jota's death broke, it was a warm, sun-drenched summer's morning in England. 9 Jota played 49 times for Portugal Credit: Getty 9 Diogo Jota died just days after his wedding to Rute Cardoso Credit: 9 The All England Club was opening up its gates for day four on Wimbledon's lawns, the cricketers of England and India were preparing for the second day of the Second Test at Edgbaston and transfer speculation was fizzing around online. Then, suddenly, the world of sport froze. For while sport is the most important of unimportant things, we all know at heart that it is nothing more than a joyful distraction from that which truly matters. At Anfield, masses of floral tributes were left and warm respects paid. Liverpool is a club which has sadly experienced tragedy too often before and which honours those lost with a fierce, protective pride. At Anfield, Jota will never be forgotten. Few football clubs cherish their heroes quite as warmly and Jota the Slotter, the clinical finisher with that extraordinary burst of pace, was one of the best of Arne Slot's champions. Sometimes, while watching the Reds, you could forget that Jota was on the pitch. Then, with a sudden acceleration and a thrust of the boot, he had won them the match. He so often proved the matchwinner when arriving from the bench, in the Anfield supersub traditions of David Fairclough and Divock Origi. But as a deep-lying centre-forward or from the left wing, he was an integral part of the squad built by Jurgen Klopp, and honed by Slot, which won the title by a country mile last season. 9 Jota scored the first goal of the Slot era in a 2-0 opening-day victory at Ipswich and the last time he netted was the winner in the Merseyside derby in April. A little over a month ago, he cavorted on the Anfield pitch when Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy. Jota, capped 49 times by his country, was not the star of his club or international teams. Those were Mo Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet football's Galacticos do not win trophies without the versatility and selfless work-rate of players like Jota. Still, his record of 65 goals in 182 appearances for the Reds was extraordinary for a player who was not a regular starter. In five seasons, he won every major domestic honour and played in a Champions League final, against Real Madrid in 2022, which Liverpool were unfortunate to lose 1-0. After spells with Pacos de Ferreira and Porto in his home town, Jota arrived in England at Wolves, on loan from Atletico Madrid, and helped to propel Nuno Espirito Santo's team from the Championship to the Europa League in three seasons. At Molineux, his loss was also deeply felt by a club where he was 'adored and cherished'. Yet this year had represented his peak, as a footballer and as a man. In the space of a month Jota won major honours with Liverpool and Portugal, then married his girlfriend of 12 years — the couple posing before the altar of a church in Porto with their two sons and baby daughter less than a fortnight ago. 'I'm the lucky one,' Jota had posted on social media. How heartbreaking those words read now. How fragile we are. 9 Floral tributes have been laid for Jota at Anfield Credit: Reuters 9 Jota shared pictures of his wedding just hours before he passed Credit: Instagram
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's tragic deaths show sport is nothing more than a joyful distraction from what truly matters
AT THIS time of year, with the transfer market abuzz, there is a tendency to view elite footballers as commodities. Their price-tags, fees, resale values and contract lengths are discussed by us all with the casual air of stockbrokers observing the gilt markets. 9 9 And then on a sunny morning in early July, chilling news arrived from Spain which made all of that talk sound so trivial, so brutal, so cold. Diogo Jota — newly wed to Rute Cardoso, his childhood sweetheart and mother of his three children — was dead at 28. Jota was a freshly crowned champion of England with Liverpool and a mainstay of the Portugal team who had just won the Nations League again and are rated as dark horses for next summer's World Cup. But above all Jota was a human being, as fragile as the rest of us. A husband, a father, a son and a brother to Andre Silva — the 25-year-old fellow professional footballer who perished with him yesterday when a tyre blew and his Lamborghini burst into flames. Jota was at the peak of his powers and in the prime of his life — married for just 11 days, he had posted footage of his wedding on social media just hours before his death. The poignance was agonising; the grief of those left behind unimaginable. When the news of Jota's death broke, it was a warm, sun-drenched summer's morning in England. 9 9 The All England Club was opening up its gates for day four on Wimbledon's lawns, the cricketers of England and India were preparing for the second day of the Second Test at Edgbaston and transfer speculation was fizzing around online. Then, suddenly, the world of sport froze. For while sport is the most important of unimportant things, we all know at heart that it is nothing more than a joyful distraction from that which truly matters. At Anfield, masses of floral tributes were left and warm respects paid. Liverpool is a club which has sadly experienced tragedy too often before and which honours those lost with a fierce, protective pride. At Anfield, Jota will never be forgotten. Few football clubs cherish their heroes quite as warmly and Jota the Slotter, the clinical finisher with that extraordinary burst of pace, was one of the best of Arne Slot's champions. Sometimes, while watching the Reds, you could forget that Jota was on the pitch. Then, with a sudden acceleration and a thrust of the boot, he had won them the match. He so often proved the matchwinner when arriving from the bench, in the Anfield supersub traditions of David Fairclough and Divock Origi. But as a deep-lying centre-forward or from the left wing, he was an integral part of the squad built by Jurgen Klopp, and honed by Slot, which won the title by a country mile last season. 9 Jota scored the first goal of the Slot era in a 2-0 opening-day victory at Ipswich and the last time he netted was the winner in the Merseyside derby in April. A little over a month ago, he cavorted on the Anfield pitch when Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy. Jota, capped 49 times by his country, was not the star of his club or international teams. Those were Mo Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet football's Galacticos do not win trophies without the versatility and selfless work-rate of players like Jota. Still, his record of 65 goals in 182 appearances for the Reds was extraordinary for a player who was not a regular starter. In five seasons, he won every major domestic honour and played in a Champions League final, against Real Madrid in 2022, which Liverpool were unfortunate to lose 1-0. After spells with Pacos de Ferreira and Porto in his home town, Jota arrived in England at Wolves, on loan from Atletico Madrid, and helped to propel Nuno Espirito Santo's team from the Championship to the Europa League in three seasons. At Molineux, his loss was also deeply felt by a club where he was 'adored and cherished'. Yet this year had represented his peak, as a footballer and as a man. In the space of a month Jota won major honours with Liverpool and Portugal, then married his girlfriend of 12 years — the couple posing before the altar of a church in Porto with their two sons and baby daughter less than a fortnight ago. 'I'm the lucky one,' Jota had posted on social media. How heartbreaking those words read now. How fragile we are. 9 9 9
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Why have record number of seeded players lost at Wimbledon?
Seismic shocks have been a hot topic in the opening days at Wimbledon - and for good reason. With just one second-round match to conclude at the end of Thursday's play, a record 36 seeded players had been eliminated - surpassing the tally of 35 at this stage of the 2020 French unprecedented number of high-profile exits have opened up the men's and women's singles draws, with French Open champion Coco Gauff and men's third seed Alexander Zverev among the highest-ranked players to exit.A record total of eight top-10 seeded players dropped out in the first round - the most at any major tournament since the start of the Open era in one of the top-five seeded women's players - world number one Aryna Sabalenka - has progressed to the third round for just the second time in the Open of the top-10 ranked players exited in the first round at a Slam for only the third time in the past 25 years, before British fourth seed Jack Draper also fell in the second what could explain it? Unusual conditions Players had to contend with sweltering conditions as Wimbledon recorded its hottest opening day on record, with temperatures exceeding 30C on Monday and were given ice packs, cold towels and plenty of water to help cope with the conditions - but some still reported struggling and Briton Cameron Norrie admitted the weather "was a bit of a shock to the system".In addition to the heat, its effect on the grass courts and their interaction with the balls has been a source of frustration for some 27th seed Denis Shapovalov, knocked out in the first round, said: "The balls are the worst, the grass tour has turned into a joke. This isn't grass any more, the court is slower than a clay one."Slower courts allow players more time to play the ball, leading to longer rallies and physically-draining longer Wimbledon's head groundsman Neil Stubley agreed the heat has contributed to slower courts as the dry grass grips the ball more, he felt criticism of the bounce was unfair. 'Heavy and slow' balls What about the balls then? Is there anything different there?After her outstanding win over former champion Marketa Vondrousova, British number one Emma Raducanu spoke about the influence she felt they were having."You get a little bit extra with the new balls [but] I feel like once they're a few games or a few long rallies in, these Slazenger balls really fluff up quite quickly and get heavy and slow," she said. "I think it benefits the bigger hitters because they have time to load and give it some."Raducanu's coach Mark Petchey previously claimed heavier tennis balls are affecting her ability to compete with the game's big to Wimbledon, no changes have been made to the specification of the ball since 1995, but players should expect the ball to feel lighter and faster on a warm, dry day, compared to heavier and slower on a cold, damp day. Short grass season One factor that is unchanged but remains an issue for players is the quick turnaround before - and short nature of - the grass court lasts for less than 50 days, beginning for some before the conclusion of the French Open at the start of June and ending with Wimbledon on 13 managed to enter just one grass court tournament - losing in the Berlin Open first round - before Wimbledon, having won the French Open on 7 June."I think this Slam, out of all of them, is the most prone to having upsets because of how quick the turnaround is from clay," said the American second tournament director Jamie Baker told BBC Sport: "Definitely, the players spend less time on grass than they do on other surfaces. I think the big macro picture is just the calendar is too long and the players are playing too much." Player burnout Concerns have long been raised by high-profile players regarding the Casper Ruud criticised the ranking system earlier this year, describing it as "a rat race", while Australian world number nine Alex de Minaur put his early French Open exit down to "feeling burned out".After her second-round loss, women's fourth seed Jasmine Paolini said she needed to try to "reset" mentally, adding: "I feel a little bit tired right now. It was two intense months before here."On that topic, Raducanu said: "It's a mentally really challenging sport. What I've found [useful] is trying to surround yourself with good people, trying to win the day and focus on the process as much as possible. It's really difficult to take your joy from the results because it's so up and down. It's a rollercoaster."German Zverev, the highest-ranked casualty in the men's draw so far after a five-set loss to the 72nd-ranked Arthur Rinderknech, also spoke openly about finding himself "in a hole", saying he felt "very alone" out on the court and has struggled mentally since losing the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner in January. The domino effect Could the sight of other top seeds going out cause others to fear the same fate, while giving lower-ranked players greater belief? Still in contention after coming back from a set down in her opener, American sixth seed Madison Keys said: "I think when you are sitting and watching everyone kind of fall, it adds a little bit of stress to the situation. I was pretty close in my first round, so I feel like I dodged a bullet a little bit."In addition to the short grass season and demanding schedule, American former player Tracy Austin also pointed to the increasing depth in both the men's and women's games, with lower-ranked players believing they can upset the top the stronger competition, Frances Tiafoe, the 12th seed beaten by Norrie in the second round, said: "You have [unseeded] floaters and some young guys playing well. The game is just really tough, it has incredible depth right now. If you're not ready to go, you're going to lose. It seems like [some of the seeded] guys weren't ready to go."Former British number one Jo Durie added: "I think everybody in the locker room is thinking, 'I have got a chance at this tournament'. I really do think more seeds are going to fall." Who might benefit? In a quarter of the women's draw which included the eliminated Paolini and Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, American Amanda Anisimova has perhaps benefited 13th seed would not face anyone ranked higher than 30th seed Linda Noskova until the semi-finals, where she could meet world number one Sabalenka - although the unseeded Naomi Osaka, a four-time major winner, remains in her the men's singles, Russian Karen Khachanov can reach the quarter-finals without facing a fellow seed, following defeats for Zverev, ninth seed Daniil Medvedev, 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo and former runner-up Matteo could also make it to the quarter-finals without encountering another seed, with Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca or qualifier Nicolas Jarry awaiting in the fourth round if the Briton can first overcome Mattia 2002 and 2019, men's singles seedings were determined by a surface-based formula reflecting recent grass court achievements, before it aligned with the world rankings used for the women's whether the amount of early shocks this year provides a case for bringing that back, former world number five Durie said: "I do think there should be a consideration because grass is really unlike all the other surfaces. I think it was a good thing at the time. It would be interesting if they brought that back."
