Emma Raducanu makes admission but also cheekily shades critics after

Emma Raducanu was feeling “pretty drained” after leaving it all on the court against Jessica Pegula but it was a sweet victory after which the 21-year-old had something cheeky for her critics. 

After picking a couple of defeats versus top-10 players earlier this year, 21-year-old Raducanu finally got her first top-10 win on Wednesday after beating world No. 5 Pegula 4-6 7-6 (6) 7-5 in the Eastbourne round-of-16. Before getting the job done, the Briton was hanging by a thread a couple of times but just didn’t allow the second-seeded American to win. 

In the second set, Pegula appeared to be heading toward sealing a two-set set. But Raducanu miraculously survived after recovering from a break down and later saving a match point in the tie-break.

In the decider, Raducanu was 5-2 up before twice failing to serve out for the match. But luckily for the 21-year-old Briton, she escaped a devastating loss after breaking Pegula again in the 11th game and serving out for the match in the next game. 

Considering that Pegula was the second seed in Eastbourne and coming off a victorious week in Berlin, that makes Raducanu’s win even more impressive.

“I am pretty drained right now but I just want to say thanks to everyone again for getting me through some really difficult moments in that match,” Raducanu said in her courtside interview.

“It is incredibly difficult when you are playing someone so in form like Jessica. She came off the back of a great run in Berlin and no doubt she is feeling confident on the grass.

“I am really pleased with how I managed to navigate some really tough situations and I didn’t think I would be able to get myself out of it, so I would say this match is one of the more meaningful ones to me. I have been going through some stuff, so to come through has been really nice.”

Raducanu takes a shot at…