Emma Raducanu and Vodafone team up to announce exciting new features for Wimbledon

Vodafone has partnered with Emma Raducanu, its grassroots tennis ambassador, to introduce two new features ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.

The telecom giant has a strong track record as a tech pioneer in the United Kingdom. It made the UK’s first mobile phone call, sent the country's first text message, and in 2018 made UK’s first live holographic call using 5G.

Raducanu made her Grand Slam main-draw debut on a wildcard at the Wimbledon Championships last year. With defeats by Vitalia Diatchenko and Marketa Vondrousova, the teenager became the youngest British woman to reach the Wimbledon third round since Elena Baltacha in 2002. The Briton went on to become the youngest British woman to reach the last 16 in the Open Era when she beat Sorana Cirstea.

Through its new '#FeelTheConnection' summer campaign, Vodafone, the Official Connectivity Partner of Wimbledon, aims to focus on using connectivity to provide fans with new experiences in the tournament.

The first feature, called Wimbledon Uncovered in 360, allows fans to experience The Championships through a 360 degree exploration of SW19.

The second feature enables fans to explore the history of The Championships through a virtual reality tour. It gives fans a chance to witness what goes on behind closed doors and get a glimpse of the new Vodafone Wimbledon Walk of Champions.

The commercial was shot on 360 cameras to demonstrate what fans will be able to access.

Emma Raducanu suffers second-round French Open exit

Last week, Emma Raducanu's claycourt season came to an end in the second round of the French Open. The 19-year-old bowed out following a 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

This was her first time playing in the main draw at Roland Garros. In her opening match, the 12th-seeded Briton had to dig deep to come from a set down to beat Czech qualifier Linda Noskova 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-1.

Raducanu's best performance on clay this year came at the Stuttgart Open, where she made it to the quarterfinals before losing in straight sets to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

The Briton, who will move to the grasscourt swing with just two wins against top-50 players this year, has found it difficult to stage a strong run at the Grand Slams since her triumph at the US Open last year.

The 19-year-old is expected to be back in action at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham, which starts on June 13.