Emma Raducanu grateful for each day after advancing at Wimbledon

"I'm over the moon to be playing here and just extend my stay by one more day," Emma Raducanu said after her 6-1, 6-2 win over Elise Mertens in the second round of Wimbledon on Wednesday.

For a 21-year-old, it was rather jarring for Raducanu to sound grateful just to be on a tennis court. She sounded like a 36-year-old close to the finish line, not a player with years left in the tank.

But those who've followed Raducanu's young career would identify with her mindset. Exactly a year ago, she dealt with a myriad of ankle and wrist injuries that forced her to skip the entire clay and grass court seasons. A year before, she was knocked out of the second round of Wimbledon while playing through a back injury. Later in 2022, she again pulled out of multiple events with a wrist injury, falling from the top 10 in the WTA rankings to outside the top 100 within a few months.

In 2021, the then-18-year-old Raducanu was hailed as the next big star in tennis when she miraculously won the U.S. Open title despite being ranked 150th. She became the first-ever qualifier to win a grand slam event, and the lowest-ranked player to win a U.S. Open.

The world was her oyster.

Sadly, recurring injuries dealt her a rough hand, forcing her to fall out of the consciousness of tennis fans, all while she watched the likes of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka ascend to the top of the food chain.

That's why Raducanu is so grateful to just be on the court.

To put things in perspective, her win on Wednesday meant she reached the third round of a major for the first time since her 2021 U.S. Open win. That stat alone sums up how much injuries derailed her career.

At the tender age of 21, Raducanu is appreciative enough for every opportunity she's afforded. And tennis fans will root for her with a passion every time she's healthy enough to show off her incredible skills.

The next opportunity will come against ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari in Friday's third-round clash.