"Very fun to watch": Emma Raducanu credits Carlos Alcaraz's match as inspiration before third-round win

Britain’s tennis player Emma Raducanu has revealed that she watched men's world number two Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz’s match before taking the court for her third-round clash at Wimbledon. The third Grand Slam is moving towards the business end, where the remaining players from different parts of the world are battling to secure the ultimate prize.

Raducanu booked her place in the fourth round of the mega-event as she defeated Russia’s Diana Shnaider with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday. While talking after the match, the Toronto-born star revealed that she watched Alcaraz’s third-round encounter, which, according to her, was a ‘good’ watch.

“The Carlos versus Frances Tiafoe match was such amazing tennis, just very fun to watch,” she said. “The last couple matches I’ve been following Carlos, and it’s just good to watch before the match.”

The match between Alcaraz and America’s Frances Tiafoe proved great for the fans as it lasted nearly four hours. In the end, the Spaniard came out on top in a five-set thriller with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.

On the other hand, for Raducanu, who has struggled with consistent fitness struggles over the last two years and recently returned to the court earlier this year, the competition is proving to be a great one as she has now already equalled her best run in the mega-event and now has an opportunity to even better it on Sunday.

Previously, she also played in the fourth round of the competition in the 2021 edition, where she was forced to retire while playing against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic when the score was 6-4, 3-0.The former world number 10 will face New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in the fourth round. The 23-year-old booked her place in the round of 16 after beating Zhu Lin of China in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two in professional tennis.