Emma Raducanu motivated by ‘healthy competition’ with fellow Brits and hails 'amazing' rise of Jack Draper ahead of Wimbledon
By James Hilsum
Published 27/06/2025 at 23:51 GMT+1
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Emma Raducanu has been delighted to see the progress which Jack Draper has made in recent months, and said her fellow British players will give her even more motivation to reach new heights. Raducanu and Draper are the two British No.1s and will be seen as the best homegrown hopes at Wimbledon. Raducanu became British No.1 after reaching the quarter-finals at Queen's.
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Emma Raducanu praised the rapid rise of Jack Draper and says the "healthy competition" between the British players drives her on for more success.
Draper won his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and has soared to No. 4 in the ATP rankings – two places above Novak Djokovic.
Meanwhile, Raducanu is ranked at world No. 38 and overtook Katie Boulter as British No. 1 after reaching the quarter-finals at Queen's.
When discussing Draper’s rise, Raducanu told the Guardian: "It is amazing. I’ve known him for so long, so many years, and when we were juniors, we were both pretty promising, and now to kind of be British No. 1 on both men and women’s side, is pretty cool.
"So, this Wimbledon, I’m sure, for him, will feel different, but he’s in a great place, and obviously with his seeding, hopefully it can help him."
There will be 23 British players taking part in the singles at SW19, including Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie.
Raducanu explained that there will be an added incentive to keep up with her compatriots.
She continued: "You see them win their match so you want to win your match, and it’s that kind of healthy competition, because you don’t want to be the one left behind.
"And I think that’s a good thing, and it’s not coming from any bad place."
Raducanu heads to SW19 after a second-round exit to Maya Joint at the Eastbourne Open, admitting she needs to "get my head in the game" following the defeat.
The 22-year-old was also visibly emotional after overcoming Ann Li the previous day, revealing she had "received some pretty bad news".
However, she says she is in a better place overall and more confident to showcase her vulnerable side more often.
"It just felt like I couldn’t speak out really, because I didn’t want what I said to kind of be shared and spoken about and gossiped about, because you know how the Chinese whispers go," she explained.
"It’s just exaggerated and things are twisted. So I just prefer to keep everything in and that is not necessarily the best thing because when you’re on the court, you’re kind of playing, holding a lot in rather than being expressive, and that’s when I’m at my best."
Xu hails 'good role model' Raducanu
Raducanu's first-round opponent at Wimbledon will be 17-year-old Mingge Xu, with the Welsh player awarded a wildcard.
Xu recounts witnessing Raducanu win the 2021 US Open title in stunning circumstances, which inspired her to reach new heights.
She told BBC Sport: "I was at the national academy in Loughborough when Emma was playing in the US Open final and me and all the girls who boarded there watched it," Xu told BBC Sport.
"We were all gathered around the TV - it was absolutely amazing.
"She's someone I've looked up to and I think she's a really good role model to have."
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