Emma Raducanu has taken a shot at critics of the British players heading into Wimbledon, insisting they’re all ‘doing a pretty good job’.
The former British No 1 recorded her first-ever win over a top-10 player on Thursday when she pulled off an impressive win over Jessica Pegula.
That victory saw Raducanu progress to the quarter-finals at Eastbourne and was her fourth win in the space of a week.
She also moves closer to breaking back into the top 100 rankings having overtaken Lily Miyazaki to become the new British No 3.
Emma Raducanu pulled off the biggest win of her career against Jessica Pegula
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Raducanu isn’t the only one to have enjoyed a strong start to the grasscourt season with Katie Boulter defending her title in Nottingham while Jack Draper became the new British male No 1.
It followed a disappointing French Open campaign for British tennis players, with not one player making it out of the first round.
The British contingent faced criticism for not making it into the second round of the claycourt major.
Their form on the grass indicates they’ve managed to quickly put that disappointment behind them.
And Raducanu insists the upturn in form is acting as motivation for one another heading into Wimbledon.
“It’s really good healthy competition,” she said.
“We all see each other progressing into the next round and we all just want to join them.
“Nobody wants to be left behind, but I think that is the way it should be.
“We should be pushing each other and I think that is the case in the men’s and women’s.
“We’re all doing really well, especially on the grass.
Emma Raducanu is showing good form ahead of Wimbledon
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“We all come alive on this surface and I think it’s a testament to how well we’ve been training and how hard we’ve been putting work in.
“Contrary to some beliefs about us, I think we’re all doing a pretty good job.”
Raducanu was speaking after her win over Pegula at Eastbourne, where she saved a match point before beating the world No 5.
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“It’s incredibly difficult when you’re playing someone so in form like Jessica,” she said.
“She came off the back of a great run in Berlin. No doubt she’s feeling confident on the grass, but I’m really pleased how I managed to navigate some really tough situations.
“I didn’t think I would be able to get myself out of it so I would say this match is one of the more meaningful ones to me.
“I’ve been going through some stuff and to come through it has been really nice.”