Emma Raducanu relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the first wave of the British charge and admits 'not much' beats winning at the All England Club
Emma Raducanu is relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the first wave of the British charge on Monday.
'I just want to go out there and embrace the moment,' said the 22-year-old. 'It is a big occasion every year and that buzz of winning at Wimbledon, honestly, not much beats it.'
Raducanu will lead the home charge alongside childhood friend and fellow British No 1 Jack Draper.
'It's amazing. I've known him for so long, so many years,' she said. 'We were both promising juniors and now to be British No 1 on both men and women's side, it's pretty cool.'
Raducanu is taking on Swansea's Mimi Xu, the 17-year-old wildcard, in a frantic first day of Wimbledon with 14 British players in action.
Temperatures are set to hit 35°C (95°F) at the All England Club on Monday, making it the hottest opening day in Wimbledon history.
Emma Raducanu is relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the British charge
Raducanu is taking on fellow Brit Mimi Xu in a frantic first day at the All England Club
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Times
21 minutes ago
- Times
Wimbledon says goodbye to line judges after 148 years of service
Where would John McEnroe have been without line judges to rant and rave at? 'I'd have less white hair and I'd have wasted less energy, I presume I'd have been more boring,' McEnroe said. 'It's nice to know the calling is accurate. But there's something about the interaction I think people will miss.' McEnroe, the three-times Wimbledon champion turned commentator, is referring to the fact that, for the first time in the 148-year history of the championships, there will be no line judges at the tournament over the next fortnight. Moving into step with the US Open and Australian Open, those tantalisingly close calls will now be entirely entrusted to technology and the all-seeing, all-knowing cameras of Hawk-Eye. No more will there be player challenges, the slow hand-clapping while waiting for a verdict followed by the 'oohs' and 'aahs' over just how close the call had been. At the back of the court, there will be no more line judges in their natty Ralph Lauren outfits, being sucked unwittingly into a drama witnessed by 14,000 spectators on Centre Court and millions more around the world on television. Of a cast list of 300 line judges from previous years, only 80 will now be employed as 'match assistants'. They will have wide-ranging duties to help the tournament to run smoothly, such as escorting players for toilet breaks or medical timeouts, but they will also be on hand to step into action should the technology fail. Should gremlins creep into the system, the equipment works court by court, so any problems should remain isolated and occasional points where the technology malfunctions would be replayed after a let. On the off-chance that the system crashes completely, there would be sufficient match assistants to resume their former jobs as line judges on No1 Court, No2 Court, No3 Court and Court 18, along with Centre Court. For the officials themselves, there is obvious disappointment at their replacement by machines, even if the step has looked likely since the 2021 Australian Open became the first grand-slam tournament to use all-electronic line calling, followed by the US Open a year later. The move may be just that little bit more jarring at Wimbledon, where tradition is such a colourful thread in the tapestry of the championships. 'It's a sad moment for many of us in officiating, although we knew it was a matter of time before it reached Wimbledon,' Malgorzata Grzyb, chairwoman of the Association of British Tennis Officials, said. 'But there's a recognition that technology is becoming an integral part of tennis, and sport in general, so there's a growing acceptance that this evolution is part of the future of tennis.' As part of the future-proofing of their trade, officials will now be trained as chair umpires earlier in their development. 'Because we've seen the change coming, we've had the opportunity to plan and adapt,' Grzyb said. 'Working with the LTA, our new officials now receive training in both line and chair umpiring from the outset, so they gain experience more quickly and progress faster as chair umpires. Encouragingly, we've not seen a drop in people wanting to become umpires.' It remains to be seen whether spectators and television viewers feel that their watching experience is diminished, with the removal, as McEnroe implies, of a familiarly human element of the drama. The interaction between players and line judges has supplied enough material for one former Wimbledon line judge, Pauline Eyre, to build a stand-up comedy routine around — a show that will be playing at the Edinburgh Festival throughout August before embarking on a tour of tennis clubs. 'I think it's a crying shame that we won't see line judges at Wimbledon,' Eyre said. 'Sport is about humans doing their best and sometimes getting things wrong. Yes, there were times at Wimbledon when I wished the grass would open and swallow me up. But most of the time, Hawk-Eye confirmed that we were getting almost all the calls spot on. It's a very skilled job and we were generally very good at it. And there were always two sets of eyes on it, the line judge on the umpire, so if we got it wrong, the umpire would probably overrule.' Depending on who is playing, making those marginal line calls can be a test of character as well as skill. 'There were players who just got on with it, and Pete Sampras was one who always thanked us,' Eyre said. 'There were also players who were deliberately intimidating. I was always the youngest on my team, so I stood out a bit, and some players would pick on that. You soon learnt to be assertive and you had to sell your call. Call sharply, loudly and clearly, and people would believe you more.' And McEnroe? Was he the bête noire of the officiating community? 'I actually think he made us more professional,' Eyre said. 'Nobody had really questioned line calls before him and, as a result, I think training became tougher and standards were raised. It feels strange to say it, but he probably made us better. I think he'll miss line judges at Wimbledon now they're gone.'
The Herald Scotland
32 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Wimbledon Day One - Order of play and must-see match
Here, the PA news agency breaks down what to expect on day one of the Championships. Brit watch British tennis fans are spoiled for choice on Monday as 14 of the 23 home players in the singles draws take to the court. Emma Raducanu faces Welsh 17-year-old Mimi Xu in the day's 'battle of Britain' while British number two Katie Boulter and number three Sonay Kartal have their work cut out against seeds Paula Badosa and Jelena Ostapenko respectively. Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic are also against seeds – former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Ashlyn Krueger respectively – while Harriet Dart plays Hungary's Dalma Galfi. In the men's draw British number two Jacob Fearnley takes on hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca while Cameron Norrie faces Roberto Bautista Agut. Debutant Oliver Tarvet, former boys' champion Henry Searle, Billy Harris, Arthur Fery and Oliver Crawford also take to the court on Monday. Raducanu plays down expectations Emma Raducanu made the fourth round last year in her biggest moment since winning the US Open in 2021 but this time is dealing with some difficult personal news, a niggling back problem and a very tough section of the draw. But the 22-year-old is determined to enjoy her time in SW19. 'Truthfully I don't expect much from myself this year (at Wimbledon),' she said. 'I know I've just been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment. I want to embrace the occasion. 'Right now I'm just happy to be at Wimbledon. I think that is a great motivation to just keep going and deal with everything else afterwards.' Carlos Alcaraz is full of confidence as he starts his bid for a third successive Wimbledon men's singles title – a feat managed only by Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Open era. The Spaniard comes into the tournament in superb form, with his 18th-straight victory securing the title at Queen's to follow up successes in Rome and, memorably, at the French Open. The 22-year-old, who opens play on Centre Court against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini, said: 'Obviously I feel a lot of confidence. But right now I'm not thinking about who I could join if I win three Wimbledons in a row.' Match of the day Katie Boulter's hopes of a long Wimbledon run were handed a major early obstacle when she was drawn against Spanish ninth seed Paula Badosa. But the 28-year-old is confident she can give anyone a match on Wimbledon's lawns. 'I do feel like I can play very well on these courts and I don't think that a seed is going to want to see me in their part of the draw either for a first round,' Boulter said. 'I'm very, very excited. I feel like it's a totally different situation for me coming in this year. I'm not seeded. I'm kind of like a dark horse and I like that feeling. I do like the fact that I can go out and swing free and I've got nothing to lose.' Order of play Centre Court (from 1.30pm) Carlos Alcaraz (2) v Fabio Fognini Katie Boulter v Paula Badosa (9) Alexander Zverev (3) v Arthur Rinderknech Court One (from 1pm) Aryna Sabalenka (1) v Carson Branstine Jacob Fearnley v Joao Fonseca Emma Raducanu v Mimi Xu
Daily Mirror
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Wimbledon Order of Play as Raducanu and Boulter begin their efforts at SW19
Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter lead the home charge on the first day of Wimbledon as defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz begins the tournament on Centre Court Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter are both in action on Day One of Wimbledon as the championship begins on one of the hottest days of the year. Two British females are on the show courts with Raducanu, who admitted recently she wanted to move on from her 2021 US Open success, is last up on Court One when she takes on Mimi Xu from Wales. Raducanu is aiming to make a run in a Grand Slam once again. Boulter meanwhile plays on Centre Court, which she has done in the past, when she faces Spaniard Paula Badosa. She is the ninth seed and it will take a stellar effort from the home favourite, who has twice reached the third round at SW19, to see off Badosa Boulter will play on Centre Court after, as is tradition, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz comes out to play first up. He will face Italian Fabio Fognini as the recently crowned French Open champion goes after a third straight title at Wimbledon. Alcaraz has been linked romantically with Raducanu away from the court and the young Brit was quizzed on those rumours before the tournament but, with a large smile, insisted they were just friends. Another Brit to keep an eye out for is Jacob Fearnley - he will also play on Court One against Joao Fonseca and is up before Raducanu, but after women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka has begun her tournament. There was a record number of Brits in the draw for this year's Wimbledon and those in attendance will be able to watch a number of them on the outside courts. Cameron Norrie, who made the semi-finals here back in 2022, is up against Roberto Bautista Agut on Court 18 with his match on just after midday. Two home favourites begin their efforts at 11am with Sonay Kartal out on Court 3 against Jelena Ostapenko. Over on Court 16 and Oliver Crawford will take on Mattia Bellucci. Meanwhile over on Court 12 Hannah Klugman takes on Canada's 29th seed Leylah Fernandez. It was Fernandez who lost to Raducanu in the US Open final four years ago. Away from the Brits, women's Australian Open champion Madison Keys begins her tournament on the opening day. The American will face Elena-Gabriela Ruse whilst men's fifth seed Taylor Fritz, who has impressed in the lead up to Wimbledon, faces Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Two-time finalist Ons Jabeur, who has fallen down the rankings, begins her bid to finally land a Grand Slam when she faces Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria.
