Emma Raducanu makes David Beckham laugh with cheeky England reference after Wimbledon win

Emma Raducanu had David Beckham smiling in the royal box when she compared her first-round Wimbledon win to England's dramatic victory over Slovakia in Euro 2024.

The 2021 US Open champion was originally set to face Ekaterina Alexandrova, but the No 22 seed withdrew a few hours before their scheduled match.

Lucky loser Renata Zarazua was bumped up to face Raducanu on Centre Court in a match that was seen as a huge opportunity for the British star to put down a marker. It was anything but in the first set as Raducanu struggled to break down a resolute Zarazua, who was competing in the main draw of Wimbledon for the first time in her career.

Emma Raducanu came through a tough match against Renata Zarazua BBC Raducanu stepped up when it mattered most with an all-important display in the first set tiebreak. And she eventually got the job done in the second to progress to the next round.

The 21-year-old was beaming from ear-to-ear after the match as she had her on-court interview and compared her victory to the one England 24 hours ago against Slovakia. "I'm incredibly happy to be back here," she said. "I was for sure nervous. I think everyone could see that in my tennis a little bit.

"At the end of the day, you have to do what it takes to get over the line. "Honestly watching the football last night, it was like winning ugly - it all counts!" The Centre Court crowd lapped up Raducanu's remark with England hero Beckham joining in the laughter in the royal box.

David Beckham saw the funny side of Emma Raducanu's comments BBC Gareth Southgate's side were on the verge of being knocked out of the Euros on Sunday before Jude Bellingham popped up with a bicycle kick just seconds before the final whistle to force extra time. Harry Kane then scored immediately after the restart as England held on to stay in the competition for another week. Raducanu will be hoping she's also still at Wimbledon by the time England face Switzerland in the quarter-finals this weekend.

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