Wimbledon news: Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek, Serena and Venus Williams
- Emma Raducanu unexpectedly faces a lucky loser in first round
- Iga Swiatek gets first cringeworthy press conference question of tournament
- A Wimbledon without Serena Willams and Venus Williams
The Wimbledon Championships are upon us. Some of the biggest newsmakers of the tournament are the WTA players that are here, Emma Raducanu and Iga Swiatek and those that are not here, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
Emma Raducanu opens her Wimbledon campaign on Monday. She was set to face World No. 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova who achieved a career best fourth round finish last year. Alexandrova was forced to pull out of the tournament on Monday morning because she is battling an illness. Raducanu now draws lucky loser Renata Zarazua on Centre Court. Zarazua is the 26 year old hailing from Mexico who is making her Wimbledon debut on Centre Court against one of the British favorites; hopefully she has steely nerves.
I don't know how Iga managed to refrain from -- at the very least -- rolling her eyes when this was THE FIRST question in her pre-tournament press conference.
— Oleg S. (@AnnaK_4ever) June 29, 2024
🎥@Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/i1Gt0BotUq
Iga Swiatek is also making Wimbledon news before play begins because she already had a cringeworthy press conference. An Associated Press reporter was asking her a question about her plans to skip the Paris Olympics. Swiatek looked surprised and graciously corrected the reporter's facts. She has never waivered and has always planned to play the Paris Olympics. All of us have to wonder what sources that reporter was using while hoping that bad facts or crazy press questions do not become the norm at this tournament.
The new normal: Wimbledon without Serena Williams and Venus Williams
Father Time always wins, and no better example of that is in the Wimbledon ladies draw. It is the first time neither Serena Williams or Venus Willams is in the draw sincew 1996. The Williams sisters dominated for a generation with at least one in 16 ladies singles finals from 2000-2019. Their longevity and success will be difficult for the current stars of the game to emulate.
Not much has been made of this so far, but this will be the 1st Wimbledon w/o Venus or Serena since 1996.
— Matt Dowell (@MattDowellTV) June 25, 2024
From 2000-2019, at least 1 of them was in the final 16 times. 4 times they played each other in the final.
They won 6 doubles titles together
It will be weird without them https://t.co/Z6hLouNXuC
Wimbledon 2024: Everything you need to know. Wimbledon 2024: Everything you need to know. dark. Next
This also means that the Wimbledon women's draw is wide open. In seven years, there have been seven different champions of this event. Of those seven players, only three are active players in Wimbledon 2024. They are Angelique Kerber (2018), Elena Rybakina (2022), and defending champion Marketa Vondrousova. Will there be a maiden champion yet again in 2024?
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