Emma Raducanu Thrilled as Queen’s Club Breaks 52-Year Gender Divide with WTA Return
Emma Raducanu expressed heartfelt excitement over the historic return of women’s tennis to the Queen’s Club Championships in 2025, marking the first WTA event at the iconic London venue in 52 years. Speaking to the LTA on June 8, Raducanu said, “To be playing here is amazing. It’s the first time there’s been a women’s event for a very long time… It’s going to be great to be playing on home turf with a good crowd,” celebrating the shattering of the outdated gender divide, per www.essentiallysports.com. The WTA 500 HSBC Championships (June 9-15) features a star-studded field, including Raducanu, Katie Boulter, and six Grand Slam champions like Barbora Krejcikova and Naomi Osaka, per www.lta.org.uk.
Raducanu’s joy was palpable after her 6-1, 6-2 singles win over Cristina Bucsa on June 10, avenging a 2025 Singapore Open loss, and a 6-4, 6-2 doubles victory with Boulter against Xinyu Jiang and Fang-Hsien Wu. She admitted initial nerves, saying, “I was quite locked in today… The support was incredible,” but noted, “I’m still trying to find my groove on this surface,” per www.theguardian.com. Despite a back spasm limiting grass prep, her performance on the Andy Murray Arena signaled strong Wimbledon (June 30-July 13) prospects, per www.essentiallysports.com.
Tournament director Laura Robson hailed the event’s significance, stating, “It’s a brand-new tournament at the WTA 500 level on perfect grass courts,” per www.essentiallysports.com. Raducanu’s admiration for Murray, whom she called her “hero” in a 2024 Wimbledon interview, added personal resonance to playing on his namesake court, per www.essentiallysports.com. Posts on X, like @RaducanuNews, celebrated her “fabulous” start, amplifying the historic moment as women reclaimed Queen’s after decades.
