"Who knows if the US Open would've happened?"- Emma Raducanu credits Wimbledon wildcard for 'butterfly effect' leading to biggest moment of her career

Emma Raducanu made her WTA Tour debut in Nottingham in 2021. It led to a wildcard at the Wimbledon Championships and her eventual US Open triumph at the age of 18. The British player credits the wildcard entry at SW19 for her career's biggest achievement weeks later.

Before beginning her grass court season in 2024, Emma Raducanu opened up about why the Rothesay Open in Nottingham is special for her. It is where she made her WTA debut and faced a first-round defeat against Harriet Dart. However, she had done enough for her coach to petition Wimbledon for a wildcard.

Raducanu won three matches in London in straight sets. In the fourth round, she faced Ajla Tomljanovic and was down 4-6, 0-3 before she retired due to what was later clarified as 'breathing difficulties'.

Just over a month later, she began her US Open journey by winning three qualifier matches, all in straight sets. The then-18-year-old continued her unbelievable run with straight-sets wins over the likes of Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinal, Maria Sakkari in the semifinal and Leylah Fernandez in the final.

She became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam event in the Open Era. Further, she achieved a jump of 332 places from the start of the year to rank World No. 23 after her win.

In an interview with the Telegraph, she said,

“If I didn’t get that wild card [at Wimbledon], who knows what would have happened or if the US would have happened? So I think life is a compilation of butterfly effects and small moments that you don’t know what’s going to happen."

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Emma Raducanu is excited to play in front of her home crowd

Emma Raducanu has had physique-problems throughout her short career. She has faced issues related to her wrists, ankle, back and glutes, among other injuries.

Emma Raducanu at the Rothesay Open Nottingham.

Since her 2021 US Open high, she has not had much to cheer about due to such problems. However, she is hoping for a good grass court season in 2024 as she takes to the courts in Nottingham for the Rothesay Open, as shared with the Telegraph.

“I’m very much looking forward to being back and playing in front of a home crowd. It’s obviously different being back here having won the US Open compared to before, but in a good way, with a lot of support.”

Emma Raducanu will face Japanese player Ena Shibahara in the first round of the 2024 Rothesay Open.