EMMA RADUCANU QUESTIONED BY HER OWN TEAM AFTER SIGNING UP WITH ANDY MURRAY AT WIMBLEDON

Emma Raducanu has claimed playing mixed doubles with Andy Murray was a "no brainer" - and will inspire and energise her singles campaign.

The former US Open champion revealed her team questioned if she should accept the late invite from her fellow British Grand Slam champion.

Raducanu faces world No.9 Maria Sakkari on Friday as she bids to reach the fourth round in the singles here for the second time.

But the 21-year-old said it took "literally like 10 seconds" to say yes to the knight of the realm - and insisted she "100%" took the feelgood factor into her second round win over Elise Mertens.

"For me it was a no-brainer," she said. "In my team, they were asking me: 'Emma, are you sure you want to play? Just in case, You're still in the tournament'. I was like: 'No-brainer'.

"Yeah I think that gave me so much energy, and just knowing that I'd be able to have that opportunity and experience, it made me so happy and I slept very peacefully and woke up very happy as well.

"I think certain things take energy from you, certain things give you energy. I think playing with Andy will just massively inspire me and just give me a lot of life and energy and adrenaline, and I love that. I'm physically in a really good spot and also if I'm in the second week of Wimbledon I'll be jumping for joy so for me it's a win-win."

From a horrible defeat in Madrid in April, Raducanu has re-emerged in a "good place". She has split with her billionaire boyfriend Carlo Agostinelli, skipped French Open qualifying and no longer sees her life-changing US Open triumph in a" negative light".

Her on-court positivity comes from off-court stability. She is working with her childhood coach Nick Cavaday while her mentor Jane O'Donaghue is also in her entourage here.

The former WTA player and LTA coach now works in banking and has taken leave to attend her grasscourt events.

"She is crushing it in the finance world - to me she is like a big sister," said Raducanu. "We always stayed in touch but she's been in that industry for five years now. They've been really good. I think she has also taken a few days off leave and I think being at Wimbledon as well is a really nice way to spend your days off.

"There's nothing to say that she won't come help out the odd week but I'm very happy with the work I'm doing with Nick, and that's very much solid, and I'm just enjoying that."

2024-07-04T17:10:52Z dg43tfdfdgfd