Emma Raducanu has said she did not realise voting for the general election was happening on Thursday, saying she would be having a lie-in instead.
The 21-year-old former US Open champion was asked about her plans after she thrashed Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday and moved into the third round of Wimbledon.
At a press conference, Raducanu was asked if she would vote before practising on Thursday, and if she would keep an eye on the general election in the evening. “No,” she replied, smiling. “I think I’ll have a lie-in, then I’ll come to practise.
“I didn’t even know it was tomorrow, to be honest! Thanks for letting me know.”
Raducanu, who faces the Greek ninth seed, Maria Sakkari, on Friday, was not the only British player who said they would be focusing on their tennis this week.
Katie Boulter, the British No 1, was asked if she would vote before her second-round match against fellow Briton Harriet Dart on Thursday. “For me, I’m going to stick to the tennis right now,” the 27-year-old told a press conference following her first-round triumph against Germany’s Tatjana Maria on Tuesday.
“I don’t see myself as someone who’s going to get involved in anything but tennis that day for the moment. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”
Dart, the 27-year-old British No 2, was also asked if she would get a chance to vote on Thursday. “I haven’t given it much thought,” she replied, smiling. “Albeit, my sister works for an MP. I’m sure she’ll be on at me to vote. But yeah, we’ll see.”
Meanwhile, Jack Draper, the British No 1, was asked on Wednesday if he took an interest in politics, to which he simply replied: “No.”
After defeating Sweden’s Elias Ymer in a five-set battle, the 22-year-old from Sutton was also asked if he would be watching any of the news leading up to Thursday’s election.
“No,” Draper replied. “No. It’s a crazy busy time for us tennis players. There’s not much TV-watching. There’s not much time to be thinking about that.”
