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Emma Raducanu hopes “hero” Andy Murray makes it to Wimbledon and praises “quite spectacular” progress by British players

Emma Raducanu paid a glowing tribute to Andy Murray and hopes that the two-time Wimbledon winner will be fit enough to compete at the All England Club.

The former world number one was assigned a first-round match against Tomas Machac on Tuesday in the hope of being fit in time, and Raducanu was pleased to see the 37-year-old back in training.

“I think that in a tournament like Wimbledon you have to push your body to the limit and push your recovery to the maximum,” Raducanu said in her press conference. “You have to accept the consequences that come after or during, no matter what you have to do.”

“I think you’re just going to push yourself to the limit and also push the people around you to do their best.

“I’m really happy to see him here because when I think of Wimbledon I think of Andy. When I was growing up that was the generation, the hero that I looked up to. I think it just feels right and I really hope he’s on the court on Tuesday or whenever he plays.”

Raducanu is enjoying a renaissance in the sport, having reached the semi-finals in Nottingham and the quarter-finals in Eastbourne so far this summer.

The 21-year-old also praised the progress of British men’s and women’s number 1s Katie Boulter and Jack Draper following their titles in Nottingham and Stuttgart respectively.

“I think Jack and Katie did exceptionally well, especially considering they are both seeded here (at Wimbledon),” she added.

“They won both titles on grass. I think that’s great for British tennis. I think it’s also great for the other players who want to achieve the same.”

“I think we push each other really well. There were three women in the last eight in Eastbourne, which is pretty spectacular in a 500-level tournament.”

Raducanu’s focus is now on a tricky first-round match against 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and she believes she has prepared optimally ahead of the grass court Grand Slam.

“I would say this preparation has worked really well,” she said. “I found a great balance between games, but also stayed fresh and didn’t play too much.”

“I think the week in Eastbourne was really helpful to play some high-quality matches and also to get a really good win in the second round. That was my best win so far (against world number five Jessica Pegula). I think that gives me a lot of confidence.

“Also, it helps not to arrive too early, I would say, because when you arrive too early, sometimes you have time to think. I’ve done that before when I wasn’t playing before the Grand Slam. I would reach the second round and play my match on Thursday, but I’ve been there since Monday. I feel like I’m in week two, but I’m in round two. It’s also helpful to keep the momentum going and keep things going and think less.”

Stream the highlights from Wimbledon and the two singles finals on 13 and 14 July live on discovery+ every day at 10pm UK time

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