Emma Raducanu recently spoke about facing former champion Markéta Vondroušová in the second round of Wimbledon 2025. The Czech won the London Major in 2023 by defeating Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the final, securing her first Grand Slam title.
Last year, Raducanu received a wildcard entry into the main draw at Wimbledon and defeated Renata Zarazúa, Elise Mertens, and Maria Sakkari before being eliminated by Lulu Sun in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Vondroušová, the then-defending champion, lost to Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round.
Emma Raducanu on Going Up Against Markéta Vondroušová at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
Leading up to Wimbledon, Raducanu competed in the Queen’s Club Championships, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to top seed Zheng Qinwen. She then participated in the Eastbourne Open, edging out Ann Li in the first round before narrowly losing to eventual champion Maya Joint.
The Brit started her Wimbledon campaign strongly, winning 6-3, 6-3 over compatriot Mimi Xu to set up a second-round clash with Vondroušová.
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Raducanu and Vondroušová have met thrice on the WTA Tour, with the Czech having a 2-1 head-to-head lead. Their most recent encounter took place in the first round of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open, where Vondroušová won 6-3, 6-4.
During her post-match press conference following her win over Xu, Raducanu spoke about her upcoming match against Vondroušová. She mentioned that the Czech entered the Grand Slam tournament with good momentum, having recently won the Berlin Tennis Open.
The former World No. 10 also mentioned that Vondroušová is a former Wimbledon champion and described her as an “amazing grass court player.” She acknowledged that she must perform exceptionally well to secure a victory against the Czech.
“She obviously won Berlin. Beat top players on the way to the title. So, really difficult match. She’s obviously won Wimbledon. Amazing grass court player and amazing player in general. I think it’s gonna be a really difficult match. I’m gonna need to play very well to get over the line,” Raducanu said.
The Brit also recalled Vondroušová making it to the 2019 French Open final and winning the Wimbledon title after returning from wrist surgery.
“I remember watching her when I was young make the French Open final. She was young there as well. Always seemed way above me and further ahead than me. She had a wrist surgery and came back and won Wimbledon, which is incredible,” she continued.
Raducanu praised Vondroušová as a “really talented player” and a “super tough” competitor currently in great form.
“She’s a really really talented player. We played earlier in the year in Abu Dhabi. I know she’s super tough, but it’s very difficult to maintain that top level after winning a slam. She’s really playing in form right now,” the 22-year-old added.
The winner of the second-round match between Raducanu and Vondroušová will advance to face either top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Marie Bouzková in the third round.
