Emma Raducanu performs brilliant microphone gesture as she’s serenaded by fan after thumping Wimbledon win
EMMA RADUCANU was right on song as she cruised into the third round of Wimbledon.
And then she was serenaded by the adoring British crowd.
Raducanu crushed world No33 Elise Mertens 6-1 6-2 in just 75 minutes.
That ensured her first back-to-back wins as a tennis Slam since her fairytale US Open victory in New York in 2021.
And she was clearly enjoying herself under the No1 Court roof – both during and after the match.
Raducanu, 21, did an interview immediately after securing a cool £143,000 in front of the partisan British audience.
But she interrupted the chat briefly because one punter was singing “Ole ole ole Emma, Emma” on repeat.
The merry gentleman’s antics went down well with Raducanu and the rest of the people inside the 12,345-capacity stadium.
And she was clearly ready to hear more of his a cappella solo as she lifted up the microphone towards him in jovial scenes.
The moment went down a storm on social media, too, as tennis lovers piled in with their responses.
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One said: “Loved this moment. Emma always appreciates her support so much and engages with her fans.”
Another wrote: “Lighting up Wimbledon with her incredible win and heartwarming fan moments! The crowd is loving every second!”
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And a final user added: “Big smiles on No1 Court at Wimbledon for Emma Raducanu’s win today. There’s a lot of love between her and the crowd.”
Raducanu said she had to “win ugly” like the England football team in her round-one clash on Centre Court in front of David Beckham.
But when asked how she played today as she clocked 22 winners, before she could answer, another fan shouted out “beautiful”.
And a third spectator heckled with an emphatic “yes” when the interview questioned if this was the Bromley’s ace best tennis since 2021.
Raducanu said: “This guy said it, I think played some really good tennis today. I am really pleased. I am over the moon to be playing here and to extend my day by one more day.
“It makes me feel unbelievable. I mean I feel so, so welcome here. Honestly, No1 Court is my favourite court.
“I am so grateful to everyone and the support today, with the roof closed especially it was super loud. I am really, really appreciative and grateful for everyone for making a lot of noise.
“The most important thing is to focus on myself. I did that really well, I took care of my business, and what I felt like I needed to do.
Wimbledon 2024 prize money
PRIZE MONEY for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships is a new record – and puts the grass-court Slam at the top of the tree.
The All England Club will dish out £50million across all the events – an increase of £5.3m and 11.9 per cent on last year, where singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova picked up £2.35m each.
However, the king and queen of grass this July will collect an extra £350,000 – taking the winner’s earnings to £2.7m.
Here is the breakdown for the 2024 Wimbledon singles prize money:
- Winner: £2.7m
- Runner-up: £1.4m
- Semi-finalists: £715,000
- Quarter-finalists: £375,000
- Fourth round: £226,000
- Third round: £143,000
- Second round: £93,000
- First round: £60,000
- Overall total: £50m
“Staying in the zone, in your own little world, creating that environment is the most important thing. To try to stay focused, and serve out a match like that.
“I’m playing really good tennis, I am very happy with the improvements that I have made.
“I knew that all the hard yards and the hard work I was doing in the year would lead to something, I am so happy I am able to reap some of the rewards at Wimbledon.”
Raducanu will play No9 seed Maria Sakkari in round three in a repeat of their US Open semi-final from 2021.
But earlier on, it was announced she was teaming up with Andy Murray for the mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
On that dream team link-up, she added: “I mean I am not sure but my doubles record isn’t exactly the longest or most vast.
“But I couldn’t say no. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a dream of mine since I was a young girl, since watching the Olympics.
“Andy is a hero to all of us. For me, it’s a real gift, a real honour that he asked me.
“It’s a moment that I could never say no to, I am super excited to be on the mixed doubles court and hopefully learn a thing or two about coming to the net or something.”
Tennis stars’ new careers
PLENTY of tennis stars have stayed involved in the sport since retiring.
But others pursued very different careers. Here are some of the best…
- I reached French Open and Wimbledon finals as a teenager but I quit to become a nun
- I won Wimbledon mixed doubles with my sister but got fed up with English weather so now run luxury B&B
- I was tipped for stardom aged 12 but retrained to become high-flying lawyer
- I earned £9m and won French Open before setting up bistro with Brazilian model girlfriend
- I’m last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, now I’m singer with six albums hitting No1 in charts
- I’m former world No1 but quit aged 29 – instead I went on to play professional poker and golf
- I was destined for the top but swapped lobs for labs as award-winning Harvard physicist