Wimbledon 2024: Emma Raducanu to face new opponent with last-minute change

British star Emma Raducanu will face a new opponent in her first-round match at Wimbledon 2024 after her scheduled opponent, Ekaterina Alexandrova, withdrew due to illness.

Alexandrova, the 22nd seed, looked like a tough and tricky competitor for Raducanu as she is a proven player on grass.

The Birth will now face lucky loser Renata Zarazua at the Centre Court on Monday. The Mexican is currently ranked 98th, 37 places above Raducanu and won two matches in the qualifiers before losing in the last match.

Zarazua has, so far, won just seven matches on grass but none of them came at tour level.

Raducanu missed last year’s Wimbledon due to surgery on both wrists and one ankle but this time, the 2021 US Open winner, is feeling great while heading into the tournament.

“I feel a lot more comfortable this year,” she said. “There’s a lot less going on. There’s a lot less stress or chaos. "I’m more just coming here, doing my practice, playing the match. Like there’s not much else to it whereas in 2022 I was in a big rush.

"Would I be able to play? Would I not? And then last year obviously missing it and in 2021, I lost in a Brit Tour like a month before so I was not really feeling amazing. So, I think that this is the most settled I’ve been in a while.”

Remember, Marketa Vondrousova is the defending champion of women’s singles at Wimbledon and she will begin her campaign on July 2 in a match against Jessica Bouzas.

Besides Vondrousova and Raducanu, prominent names like Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and others would be in action.

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