Is this a rival for Emma Raducanu's heart? Amid Carlos Alcaraz rumours, an old pal shows up to support star as Jack Draper joins her in second round
And it is not just her friends – and fans across the nation – who will be willing her on as she steps out on Centre Court.
Spotted in the background of the selfie was a familiar face – dashing former tennis prodigy Benjamin Heynold.
His beaming appearance has added to supporters' good-humoured speculation about which lucky man may have won over the 22-year-old's heart.
Rumours have also swirled around her friendship with defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz – with the pair due to play mixed doubles together at the US Open next month.
After securing a second-round showdown with 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova yesterday, Ms Raducanu was happy to pose for pictures – with Mr Heynold in the background.
There was talk of possible romance after Mr Heynold, 24, was seen regularly in her team's corner at Queen's in west London last month.
The student, who is at the University of North Carolina in the US, was pictured cheering her on alongside her coach Nick Cavaday and agent Thomas Houchin as she reached the quarter-finals.
The pair have been friends since they first met at six, and they have represented Team GB together.
She also appears to be close to Alcaraz. Their doubles pairing has sparked speculation that their partnership may be growing closer off the court.
Yesterday, the Spaniard, 22, said she will be his 'boss' when the stars team up at the Open in New York.
Asked about how he thought they would gel, Alcaraz said: 'I'm just going to serve. I'm going to pull myself away and let her play. She will cover all the court. She will be the boss... I will do whatever she wants me to do. That's it.'
Ms Raducanu has laughed off suggestions of a romance with Alcaraz in the lead-up to Wimbledon, insisting they were just good friends.
Adding to the rumour mill, Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios suggested mischievously that the two-time defending men's champion could be in competition with fellow British star Jack Draper for Ms Raducanu's attention.
'I don't know, I think it's a love triangle,' Kyrgios said on talkSport. 'Draper, Alcaraz, Raducanu. They're fighting over Raducanu I think.'
'The tennis world loves a love story, they love to try and put two together.'
He added: 'Obviously, winning a Grand Slam at 19 is never easy, it comes with a lot of expectation on the outside world. But, you know, as long as she's happy, there's so much pressure that comes with being the No 1 player and playing at Wimbledon, so hopefully she can find her feet. Imagine her and Jack Draper winning the women's and men's title. That would be something.'
A host of celebrities braved the heat to watch the second day's action. Happy Valley actress Sarah Lancashire was joined in the Royal Box by Australian film stars including Cate Blanchett, Rebel Wilson and Russell Crowe, who was with his partner Britney Theriot.
British No 1 Draper, who stands at 6ft 4in, towered over his 5ft 7in opponent Sebastian Baez yesterday, and won his opening match after the Argentinian was forced to retire after slipping on the grass. He tried to battle it out before giving in at 6-2, 6-2, 2-1 to the home favourite.
Dan Evans defeated fellow Briton Jay Clarke to win his opening match. Draper and Evans will join seven Britons who won their first matches on Monday – the most home wins on any day of the Championships in the open era.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Aimee Lou Wood puts on a cosy display with boyfriend Adam Long as they party together at Glastonbury after romance was revealed
Their romance was first revealed when they were pictured kissing last month. And Aimee Lou Wood 's new romance with boyfriend Adam Long is going from strength to strength, as they partied together at Glastonbury over the weekend. The White Lotus star, 31, joined the crowds to watch live music at Worthy Farm, opting for a casual olive green cap. Adam, 34 - who is best known for his role as convict Lewis Whippey in Happy Valley - was dressed in a blue gingham shirt. The pair - who are starring together in the upcoming BBC series Film Club - were first spotted sharing a kiss last month. Aimee has liked all of Adam's social media posts since their Film Club casting was announced last November. She was also quick to praise the star after he completed a sponsored run in aid of Movember and men's mental health awareness. On a snap of the actor and his running buddies, Aimee penned: 'YOU DID IT!!!!!!! ✨' It's believed the pair met last year working on their upcoming BBC Three series, written by Aimee, in which they play a couple. The pair play lovers in the series, which follows Evie (Aimee) who sets up a film club with her best friend Noa (Nabhaan Rizwaan). A BBC synopsis reads: 'It's Friday night. 7pm. Film Club Week 198. Evie hasn't left the house in six months after a 'wobble', and tonight, things are different. 'Noa's got big news. A dream job is taking him across the other side of the country, which means that all of this is ending. That reality is hitting. That they're going to be forced to consider for the first time they might be more than just friends. 'Neither of them are the best when it comes to emotions but this time those emotions might be impossible to ignore... 'As if life weren't challenging enough already, Evie is going to be navigating this amongst the eccentricity of her family home - living with her fiercely loving single mum Suz (Suranne Jones), sister Izzie (Liv Hill), and handsome boyfriend/sometime man of the house Josh (Adam). 'Film Club is a witty and emotional show about love and family, about whether we should follow our hearts or heads, and being in love with a friend.' Speaking about the series, Aimee - who created the show with Ralph Davies - said in a statement: 'I'm thrilled that our beloved TV series Film Club, a project that Ralph and I have been writing for the past decade, starts shooting this week. 'We couldn't be more excited, and grateful, to the incredible team we have assembled with the BBC. 'To bring this to life with Nabhaan and Suranne, two exceptional actors I have always admired, is a real honour.' The series was filmed in Manchester last year and is set for release on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three later this year. Adam, who also starred in Day Of The Jackal and Waterloo Road, has not spoken publicly about his love life. Aimee's last known relationship was with her Sex Education co-star Connor Swindells, who she split from in 2020 after two years together. Connor, 28, who stars in SAS Rogue Heroes, is now married to the Peaky Blinders star, Amber Anderson, 32, who he wed last year. Discussing the reason behind their split, Aimee noted that relationships don't have to consist of a 'goodie' and a 'baddie', but sometimes the combination of two personalities in a dynamic can result in 'unhealthy themes'. She said in an interview with Grazia: 'We'd had some time apart and then we realised that maybe the relationship wasn't serving us both,' before stating that she and Connor still love each other and respect each other. According to Aimee the breakup was amicable and wasn't dramatic. She compared the moment she became single to a dam bursting wide open. She added: 'When I'm in a relationship I find it hard to maintain my sense of self. I'm very independent but also quite impressionable.' MailOnline has contacted Amy and Adam's representatives for comment. In recent months, the star has catapulted to global fame, owing to her role in HBO hit, The White Lotus. However, the actress' personal life caused more headlines than the series itself, with Aimee hitting out at Saturday Night Live for their 'mean and unfunny' parody of the show that mocked her teeth; as well as being embroiled in claims of a 'feud' with her on-screen lover. The SNL sketch featured comedian Sarah Sherman, 32, parodying Aimee's character Chelsea while using fake teeth to mock her, which prompted in widespread outrage. The sketch poked fun at her Manchester U.K. accent and her teeth, with Sarah exclaiming: 'Fluoride? What's that?' In response, Aimee took aim at the 'cheap' joke, writing on Instagram: 'Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple weeks ago. Yes, take the p**s for sure - that's what the show is about- but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?' She also shared messages of support from her followers and sister Emily, admitting she'd received 'thousands' of messages backing her up. Aimee continued: 'Last thing I'll say on the matter. I am not thin skinned. I actually love being taken the p**s out of when it's clever and in good spirits. But the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth not bad teeth. 'I don't mind caricature - I understand that's what SNL is. But the rest of the skit was punching up and I/ Chelsea was the only one punched down On... Okay end of.' To conclude, she shared a comment from a fan that read: 'It was a sharp and funny skit until it suddenly took a screeching turn into 1970's misogyny', she added: 'This sums up my view'. Aimee's rumoured feud with her White Lotus co-star Walton Goggins has also had fans talking in recent months. The rumours hit an all-time high after they unfollowed each other on Instagram. But last week the onscreen lovers put the rumours to bed, tackling the reports head on in a joint interview with Variety. 'There is no feud. I adore, I love this woman madly, and she is so important to me,' Walton insisted. Aimee proceeded to address the outrage over headlines that Goggins unfollowed her on social media, which fans perceived as a sign they did not get along. 'I think it's such a comment on where we're at culturally,' she said over the online fury. 'Why is everyone obsessing over Instagram? That is irrelevant. We don't give a s**t about Instagram.' She explained she wished more people were having 'conversations about the story' of their White Lotus characters, Rick and Chelsea, and simply enjoying the show. As well as her new role in Film Club, Aimee has been kept busy filming series two of her BBC sitcom Daddy Issues. This year will also see her star in crime-thriller film Sweet Dreams, which has been pitched as 'a British Fargo'. Adam's most recent TV role was in the ITV drama Protection, which saw him reunite with Happy Valley co-star Siobhan Finneran. His most famous role to date was in the BAFTA-winning Happy Valley, in which he played a convict who aided James Norton's Tommy Lee Royce in kidnapping the daughter of a wealthy businessman, for ransom.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
When is Jack Draper playing his second round match at Wimbledon?
The 2025 Championships at Wimbledon are in fully swing at the All England Club, where there have already been a number of eye-catching storylines in the opening days. The women's draw has been blown wide open with the early exits of top seeds Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Qinwen Xheng, which could present opportunities for British players Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal. In the men's draw, Carlos Alcaraz is eyeing a third consecutive title in SW19, and is also looking to become the second player to win Roland Garros, Queen's and Wimbledon in the same year. World No 1 Jannik Sinner and British No 1 Jack Draper are the other favourites in the men's draw. Here is the order of play for day four at Wimbledon, with only Centre Court and Court 1 announced so far: When will Jack Draper play? Draper is the third match on Court 1 on Thursday 3 July, where the action starts at 1pm BST. We can therefore expect Draper on court around 5pm (approx.) Day four – order of play, Thursday 3 July Centre Court D. Evans (GBR) v N. Djokovic (SRB) 6 I. Swiatek (POL) 8 v C. McNally (USA) J. Sinner (ITA) 1 v A. Vukic (AUS) No 1 Court M. Andreeva 7 v L. Bronzetti (ITA) M. Sakkari (GRE) v E. Rybakina (KAZ) 11 J. Draper (GBR) 4 v M. Cilic (CRO) Full schedule to be confirmed. How to watch Wimbledon on TV Wimbledon will be shown live on the BBC in the UK, with full coverage of the tournament available to watch on BBC One, BBC Two and across BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. TNT Sports will air a daily 90-minute highlights show and will also have live coverage of both singles finals. If you're travelling abroad and want to watch Wimbledon, then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get the best VPN deals on the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
When is Novak Djokovic playing his second round match at Wimbledon?
The 2025 Championships at Wimbledon are in fully swing at the All England Club, where there have already been a number of eye-catching storylines in the opening days. The women's draw has been blown wide open with the early exits of top seeds Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Qinwen Xheng, which could present opportunities for British players Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal. In the men's draw, Carlos Alcaraz is eyeing a third consecutive title in SW19, and is also looking to become the second player to win Roland Garros, Queen's and Wimbledon in the same year. World No 1 Jannik Sinner and British No 1 Jack Draper are the other favourites in the men's draw. Here is the order of play for day three at Wimbledon, with only Centre Court and Court 1 announced so far: When will Novak Djokovic play? Djokovic is the first match on Centre Court on Thursday 3 July, with the action starting at 1:30pm BST. Day four – order of play, Thursday 4 July Centre Court D. Evans (GBR) v N. Djokovic (SRB) 6 I. Swiatek (POL) 8 v C. McNally (USA) J. Sinner (ITA) 1 v A. Vukic (AUS) No 1 Court M. Andreeva 7 v L. Bronzetti (ITA) M. Sakkari (GRE) v E. Rybakina (KAZ) 11 J. Draper (GBR) 4 v M. Cilic (CRO) Full schedule to be confirmed. How to watch Wimbledon on TV Wimbledon will be shown live on the BBC in the UK, with full coverage of the tournament available to watch on BBC One, BBC Two and across BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. TNT Sports will air a daily 90-minute highlights show and will also have live coverage of both singles finals. If you're travelling abroad and want to watch Wimbledon, then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get the best VPN deals on the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
