Laura Robson: Great signs for Emma Raducanu and why Coco Gauff is a contender for Wimbledon

Laura Robson is getting very excited ahead of Wimbledon and looks ahead to the hopes of former US Open champion Emma Raducanu and why Coco Gauff is a real contender for the women’s singles title…

Genuine hopes for Raducanu?

I’m so happy for her. She’s healthy at the moment and excited to get out there and play. You see the buzz she’s got at the moment and the love she’s brought back to her tennis, and it has definitely been helped by being healthy.

If you’re feeling good in your body and being confident, it changes everything. She’s played two great lead-up events in Nottingham and Eastbourne and done really well, so it is all great signs going into her match and I’m excited to see her do that walk-out onto Centre Court.

Ekaterina Alexandrova is a great ball-striker. You know you are going to get pace onto your racket and I think Emma really likes that. A hard hitter playing a hard hitter can sometimes feel like a nicer rhythm, so you’re going to get a lot of flat shots coming at you, but at the same time there’s nothing to lose.

The mentality stays the same and no matter who it’s against, it’s the first round of a Slam.

For both players, it means so much to them and she’s going to have the crowd support. She’s going to have a bit of a free swing at it and fingers crossed.

What about Gauff’s chances?

I don’t feel like Coco dwells in the past. She won’t be looking to lose first round, but at the same time I think she’s always looking ahead, looking at what she can improve in her game and do better on court every time she’s out there, which is why she’s one of the most exciting players in the women’s game.

She has such a great attitude and such a great team around her as well, so Coco is a contender in every tournament she plays – and has been since that run to the title at the US Open.

In my mind, she’s almost a veteran these days because she’s been around for so long and had such a lot of experience, but she’s still such a young player with a lot still to improve on.

Is the men’s draw wide open this year?

I think the men’s draw is a little bit more open. I could probably think of four or five people I could see doing really well. Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic – for me, if he wasn’t feeling good or healthy he just wouldn’t play.

He’s won so much in his life, he’s only entering a tournament if he’s got a chance of winning it. I would definitely throw him in that group and maybe Alexander Zverev as well.

Now there’s a bit of a changing of the guard anyway, all these names we’ve been hearing about for the last few years are very much in the mix.

Alcaraz must be feeling good about his chances, right?

As defending champion you’ve got to feel good and I love the tradition of last year’s champion opening up on Centre Court, the same for Marketa Vondrusova on Tuesday. It’s another special element.

Everything about this club is special for me and I love the tradition of it. It’s a bit of a blinder for the Centre Court tickets and all good matches.

You never know how someone is going to go as defending champion, but he just deals with the pressure so well and having won Roland Garros he’s got to be feeling good about his tennis.

Sinner’s not good on grass?

I always find it funny that people are like ‘Sinner’s not great on grass’ and he’s not having it as his favourite surface. He made the semis last year, but I think the confidence he has in his game, the mental belief is such a difference this year.

Every match, he seems to be going in as favourite and he just seems so humble about it and at peace with it, the way he goes about his business.

He got here pretty early last week to start practicing and he looks pretty good. He hits the ball probably, the cleanest of anybody on tour and it’s such a nice strike. He’s No. 1 seed for a reason.

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?

In the run-up to the final Grand Slam of 2024 – the US Open – you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the hard-court season.

• Hamburg Open (ATP 500) 15-21 July
• Newport Hall of Fame Open (ATP 250) 15-21 July
• Swiss Open (ATP 250) 15-21 July
• Bastad Open (ATP 250) 15-21 July
• Palermo Ladies Open (WTA 250) 15-21 July
• Hungarian Grand Prix (WTA 250) 15-21 July
• Prague Open (WTA 250) 21-26 July

Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.