Former British tennis player Annabel Croft is pinning her hopes on fellow Brit Emma Raducanu for winning the Wimbledon title. After weeks of speculation, it is official that Raducanu will be playing the Wimbledon after all. She had suffered from an injury and had not played any warm-up tournament ahead of the grand slam.
One of the favorites to win the tournament right now is world number one Iga Swiatek. As per Croft, it is therefore logical that she would be Raducanu’s biggest threat. The two came face-to-face in the quarterfinal of the Stuttgart Open which the Polish tennis star won in straight sets.
World No.1 Iga Swiatek is top seed for the Wimbledon Championships 2022 ❤️#IgaSwiatek #Wimbledon #MariaSakkari #PaulaBadosa #EmmaRaducanu #Tennis pic.twitter.com/qLgtjPW62r
— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) June 22, 2022
Swiatek is coming fresh from her French Open glory and is currently dominating against all the other players. However, Croft is optimistic about Raducanu as she firmly believes that she can beat anyone including Swiatek. The former world number 24 said, “There is so much pressure on her but I think she is coping very well.”
Raducanu also opened up recently on how people’s expectations have risen ever since she won the US Open in 2021. However, she has kept her calm and is moving forward at her own pace.
Annabel Croft opens up on other potential threats for Emma Raducanu
Raducanu is just 19 years old and has a lot of tennis left in her. While she has the potential to lift the title, there are other players who are as good as her. As per Croft, another potential threat for Raducanu is American teenager Coco Gauff. She is also a tennis prodigy and recently played in the French Open final.
Emma on the practice court at @Wimbledon 🇬🇧🍓 #Raducanu | #EmmaRaducanu | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/EWp56HOJfV
— Emma Raducanu Fans (@RaducanuNews) June 24, 2022
World number three Ons Jabeur can also be dangerous in Croft’s opinion. She recently won the Berlin Open and is looking in fine form ahead of The Championships. She even played in the Eastbourne International in the doubles tournament with Serena but had to pull out of it due to a minor injury.
Breaking down Emma Raducanu’s projected path through the draw at SW19:
R128: Alison van Uytvanck 🇧🇪
R64: Caroline Garcia 🇫🇷
R32: Madison Keys 🇺🇸
R16: Danielle Collins 🇺🇸
QF: Ons Jabeur 🇹🇳
SF: Anett Kontaveit 🇪🇪
F: Iga Swiatek 🇵🇱— Eurosport (@eurosport) June 24, 2022
With so many players looking in good touch, it won’t be an easy road for Raducanu. However, she has managed to surprise everyone before. She will face Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round.