No scheduling love for Britain's Emma Raducanu
British fans were less than pleased with the lack of Centre Court action for their country's star.
In a Wimbledon that has been described as “cursed” by many fans, the scheduling has been less than ideal for many watching live and at home. Multiple rain delays since the start of the Grand Slam have forced the Wimbledon organizers to make tough decisions when it comes to scheduling.
The current teen sensation to sweep across the major was Emma Raducanu who, at 18-years-old, became the youngest British woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon in the Open Era. The British fans immediately fell in love with her talent and smile, but became immediately frustrated at the lack of Centre Court action for Raducanu.
The anger became so intense that the Wimbledon organizers released a statement on the matter.
“All decisions are made with fairness and the best interests of the tournament, players, spectators and our worldwide broadcast audience at heart, but the unpredictable nature of the length of matches and the British weather can and will cause disruption to any schedule,” they said.
Raducanu lost to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the Round of 16 after retiring from the match due to difficulty breathing in the second set. Not only were fans frustrated with Raducanu's court assignment, but also the fact that she was last on and following Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime's match. The men's Round of 16 bout ended up going the distance and pushed Raducanu's match start time past 7 p.m. Which was concerning given that the winner had to quickly return to court for the quarterfinals the next day.
In a Wimbledon interview, the teen addressed the medical issue on Tuesday following the loss and is already feeling much better. She is feeling extremely grateful for all the support over these past couple of weeks and is ecstatic about her incredible Grand Slam debut. Although she didn't get to play on Centre Court, the young Brit doesn't seem to be disappointed but rather overjoyed at the opportunity to play in front of thousands of fans on Court 1.
"To play on Court 1 in front of that many fans, I'm so grateful for the opportunity," Raducanu said.