There’s been a lot of chatter lately about Emma Raducanu and her connection with fellow 22-year-old tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz. People started talking more and more after they were seen together a lot—hanging out at training sessions, making joint appearances for sponsors, and Raducanu cheering for him from the sidelines at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon.

Their teamwork as mixed doubles partners at the upcoming US Open has sparked some buzz, leading to some lighthearted remarks from the press and other players, including Nick Kyrgios, who joked about a “Wimbledon love triangle” with Jack Draper. But both players have clearly said there’s no romantic connection between them. Raducanu even mentioned to reporters at Wimbledon about Alcaraz, saying, “We’re just good friends.”

But wait, as if those rumors weren’t enough for the tennis community, another star has recently gotten caught up in it all. Cameron Norrie, who’s 29, quickly shot down any claims from the press, saying, “I’m not. No. You can ask her though.” So, with Norrie getting involved, some fans are feeling like all this relationship chatter is just dragging on without any real evidence.

One fan even voiced their concern on X, saying, “They care more about her love life than her playing as clearly displayed by Chris Evert, and ESPN, breaking away from her actual match against the number one seed where she went up 3-1, in the second set but no one could watch, bc they cared more about who was crushing on her.” So, when Chris Evert saw this on X, she instantly replied, saying, “oh please🙄🙄🙄”

As a seasoned commentator and former world No. 1, Evert likely felt the criticism was unfairly skewed, especially when coverage was focused on gossip rather than pure tennis analysis. Indeed, Evert has always stood up for Raducanu in the media, once saying, “I think Emma is handling everything beautifully. I think Emma has tennis as her number one priority and she’s working hard. It’s hard when these financial opportunities come along and they’re just offered to her to turn them down, and I think that’s fine as long as her number one priority is still to improve her game.”

When Evert snapped back at the X user, she was really taking control of the conversation. It showed that she values her analytical integrity and is all about focusing on performance rather than getting caught up in personal speculation. So, how did Raducanu perform at this year’s Wimbledon?

Emma Raducanu performed at her best

Emma Raducanu really sparkled at Wimbledon, going up against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in front of a full house at Centre Court. The 22-year-old Brit got off to a strong start against Sabalenka, jumping ahead to a 4-2 lead in the first set. Even though she ended up losing the opener in a close 7‑6(6), Raducanu’s bold shot-making and relentless movement on the court really impressed everyone and hinted that she was definitely back in her groove.

In the second set, Raducanu kept up her strong play, jumping out to a 4–1 lead and even getting a chance to close it out with a match point at 5–4. But then, Sabalenka really turned things around with her strong and determined play, making a comeback by winning the last five games to take the match 7‑6, 6‑4. Even though she lost, Raducanu’s determination impressed her opponent, who remarked, “She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard. To get this win, I had to fight for every point like crazy.”

Even though the loss ended her Wimbledon journey, it really highlighted her comeback and the boost in her confidence. She handled those ongoing back spasms and distractions off the court with such grace that even Sabalenka had to commend her performance.