"Rafa embodies fight" - Emma Raducanu on wearing a polo t-shirt with Rafael Nadal's logo on it

After being handed a tricky draw for only her second Wimbledon appearance, Emma Raducanu kicked off her campaign with a win over Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck on Monday.

Eleventh-ranked and 10th seed Raducanu broke the World No. 46 a total of four times in two sets to secure a straight-sets victory. The Brit defeated Uytvanck 6-4, 6-4 in just over 100 minutes and advanced to the second round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.

This year has been one to forget so far for the 19-year-old, who is already a Grand Slam holder. Fighting a few injuries and struggling to find form, there have been three occasions in 2022 when Raducanu had to retire mid-match.

When she arrived for her post-match interview, journalists and fans couldn't help but notice that Raducanu was sporting a polo T-shirt that had Rafael Nadal's 'Raging Bull' logo on it. When asked about it, the British No. 1 said that because she is having a tough year, she wishes to fight like Nadal usually does.

"Rafa just embodies fight. That sort of energy, that's what I'm bringing in terms of energy. I think I've had a tough year, like it's no secret. It is all worth it just to go out on Centre Court and get a win like that. I, definitely, am very happy to be here and all the lessons that I've taken from the last year will only hold me in good stead for the future," Raducanu said.

Fans of Nadal, for one, were extremely happy as the youngster was seen wearing another T-shirt with the same logo during a practice session before her first match. While Raducanu is through to the second round, Nadal will play his opening match today against Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo.

Emma Raducanu to face Caroline Garcia next

Emma Raducanu reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last year

As predicted by most when the draw was released, World No. 11 Emma Raducanu will meet Caroline Garcia of France in the second round on Wednesday. In her first-round match, Garcia beat Japan-born British player Yuriko Miyazaki 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4).

After the match, Raducanu reckoned that she could take on any opponent if she had the belief to win.

"I didn't play tennis for two weeks and this week, I've hit an hour a day. My preparation wasn't necessarily the greatest, but I know that when it comes to the matches, I feel like I really switch on. I don't feel like I need a massive amount of preparation, of course, I do to build physically but I think a lot of it is mental and I went out with the belief today. I know that I can compete with anyone on the other side of the court when I really go for it," Raducanu said.