Emma Raducanu is keen to let go of her stubborn, perfectionist impulses and, as the American saying goes, "Just win, baby." It's a lesson she's taken to heart while watching England's men's national team work its way through to the quarterfinals of the UEFA European Championship this month.

Raducanu wore her heart on her sleeve on Sunday during her final practice before the start of Wimbledon, decking herself out in England's kit, and was on the edge of her couch during the final minutes of their heart-stopping win in stoppage time.

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"For sure I sympathize with the players who are being told they need to play a lot better, need to play perfect," Raducanu said. "I think at the end of the day it's about getting over the line.

"Today I used it as motivation. It doesn't need to be beautiful, it doesn't need to be perfect. As long as you get through the opening rounds, you give yourself another chance to play better. For circumstances to align, as long as you're still in the tournament, you keep giving yourself that chance."

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With David Beckham watching from the Royal Box, Raducanu was perfectly happy to "win ugly" in her first-round win over lucky loser Renata Zarazua. The 2021 US Open champion won 7-6(0), 6-3.

"I don't think it was perfect tennis," Raducanu said. "It wasn't clean, beautiful ball striking. It was just about managing the opponent and managing the fight and the circumstances.

"I think it's that classic tennis book 'Winning Ugly'. I think it's just so true. Especially in the opening round of a Slam where there's so much nerves that go through it, I would say to get through is just really big and important. I think it was a real show of character for me."

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