Emma Raducanu strides onto the grasscourts of Wimbledon on Monday as the British number one, a world away from the wide-eyed teenager who burst onto the scene at the All England Club four years ago.

"It does feel like a long time ago. A lot has happened in the last four years," Raducanu told reporters, reflecting on her meteoric rise from obscurity to the fourth round in 2021, a run that preceded her astonishing US Open triumph later that year.

Raducanu faces 17-year-old British wildcard Mingge Xu, who will be making her own Grand Slam debut this year.

"It's good to see a new generation, it keeps us on our toes. It keeps us hungry to improve. It's just healthy competition between all of us," Raducanu added.

The intervening years have been more of a cautionary tale, as injuries and the constant changing of coaches prevented the 22-year-old from building on that early success.

--Reuters--