British men’s No 1 Cameron Norrie has urged Emma Raducanu to “embrace” the pressure and attention at Wimbledon this summer.
Raducanu burst into the public eye when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year after receiving a wildcard entry into the main draw.
The anticipation around her return has of course increased enormously following her shock US Open triumph, although second-round exits at the Australian and French Opens have somewhat tempered expectations.
Norrie, who lost in the third round to Karen Khachanov at Roland Garros, admitted the pressure on Raducanu won’t be easy to manage but that he is confident “she can let her tennis do the talking”.
“She has had a lot of attention after the US Open - I don’t think it will be any easier around Wimbledon,” said Norrie. “Hopefully she will go and embrace it. She knows exactly how much attention she will get. It will be even more.
“She needs to keep her head down, keep enjoying the tennis, I’m sure she is looking forward to the grass. I think it is one of her best surfaces as well. It will be a lot of fun.
“At 19, I was doing different stuff than she is now. She is having to deal with a lot more pressurised situations and bigger moments than I was at the same age. I was in college enjoying myself and living a more normal life.
“She is very mature, very well-spoken and hopefully she can let her tennis do the talking at Wimbledon. She played great there last year. Hopefully she can use the home crowd to her advantage - people will be loving her.”
Raducanu is currently expected to make her grass-court return at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham, which starts on 13 June.
“It’s going to be really nice to go home and play on home turf, on the home grass,” she said. “It is going to be a little bit strange in the beginning, because I have played on clay court for so long now, I feel like it’s been weeks.
“Like, going onto a grass court I’m probably going to be a bit shocked at first. But I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the fans at home, and just all the support.
“Last year I experienced a little taste of it, but I feel like this year might be a bit more. I’m just really looking forward to the atmosphere that’s going to be around.”
