Thomas Tuchel is a big tennis fan. As England’s national soccer coach, he wouldn’t miss a visit to Wimbledon—and he saw a crowd favorite in action.
With Thomas Tuchel in the stands, crowd favorite Emma Raducanu thrilled British spectators at Wimbledon. The 22-year-old won her second-round match on Center Court against former tournament winner Marketa Vondrousova from the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3. England national soccer coach Tuchel watched the classic grass court match from the royal box wearing sunglasses.
She tried not to be distracted by the celebrities in the stands, Raducanu said after the match with a laugh. “The atmosphere was electric, I’m so happy to play another match here.” Tennis fan Tuchel has visited the Australian Open in the past and watched all three matches on the biggest court. Singer Dave Grohl and wrestling star John Cena also sat in the VIP box at times on Wednesday.
Tough task against Sabalenka
Raducanu will now face Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus in the third round. “She’s the world number one, so dominant, she’s won everything, it’s going to be very difficult,” said the 2021 US Open winner.
Raducanu has not been able to build on her Grand Slam triumph since then and has also been hampered by injuries, among other things. This season, an incident with a stalker caused a stir: Raducanu burst into tears in Dubai because of the behavior of a spectator.
Next top player out
Another co-favorite, Jasmine Paolini, also failed to advance. The fourth-seeded Italian lost in a complete upset to Russia’s Kamilla Rachimova 6-4, 4-6, 4-6. This means that only Sabalenka remains of the five highest-seeded players in the tournament.
