Former tennis player Annabel Croft has advised Emma Raducanu to be at her best if she must overcome Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the ongoing Wimbledon.
Raducanu has produced arguably her best tennis since her US Open win so far at Wimbledon, defeating both fellow Briton Mingge Xu and Markéta Vondroušová 6-3, 6-3 in her opening two matches.
Speaking with BBC 5 Live, Croft stated that Raducanu will face her toughest test against Sabalenka.
“That’s quite a statement that Emma has put out,” former player Annabel Croft told BBC 5 Live. “I don’t think she could be hitting the ball any better, I really don’t. She was absolutely middling it.
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“I would think that would be quite worrying for Sabalenka actually because she’ll be facing Raducanu at her best.
“If Raducanu can play anything close to that level again, although she may not be allowed to because Sabalenka will bring a lot of power, she will give the world number one a run for her money.”
In their only tour-level encounter, Sabalenka previously defeated Raducanu in straight sets at Indian Wells last year.
Though Raducanu was successful only once from 10 break chances in that match, she can take encouragement and will aim to capitalise on similar opportunities this time.
Nevertheless, her 1-5 record against top 10 players in 2025, including her win over Emma Navarro in Miami in March , and her overall 3-12 record against the elite underlines her challenges against the top-tier players.
