Raising the bar of tension before Wimbledon begins, Emma Raducanu seems to have an additional challenge to overcome! The Brit, who was preparing to make her Wimbledon comeback against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round, will now have a new opponent on the opposite end of the net. While bad luck grappled with Alexandrova, Renata Zarazua’s (World No. 98) destiny immensely favored her! You may be curious to know about Zarazua, who takes coaching under her brother, Pato, who shares a connection to Venus Williams.

After establishing her prowess on the ITF circuit and winning four singles and seventeen doubles titles, Zarazua, a Mexican-born tennis pro, stepped onto the WTA tour with the same ambition. And after her debut in the 2016 Brasil Cup, the now 30-year-old player struggled to establish a dominating presence on-court. However, she did not give up, and soon enough, success came! Zarazua, who once struggled to get past the round of 16 in the Mexican Open of 2018, proved herself on the same ground in February 2020!

Reaching her first WTA semifinals, Zarazua was over the moon after she created history! Wondering how? Well, she became the first Mexican woman to swing her racquet in a semi-final match since 1993. But wait, there’s more! With a boost of confidence and faith in her form on-court, Zarazua also made a Grand Slam debut in the French Open draw match a few months later that year. And in doing so, she broke another record!

This time, she was the first Mexican woman to appear in the main draw of the French Open over the past two decades! Who would stop her after that? Leaving her fans in awe, Zarazua went ahead in her career and reached the highest platform of tennis, the Olympics in 2021. However, there was one wish that she needed to fulfill: experiencing the joy of winning her first WTA title. And with her remarkable talent, she achieved that last year at the Montevideo Open!

As a result, by reaching the top 100 in 2024, Zarazua earned the tag of being the second player to do so in Mexican sports history. And after making the Australian Open debut and her Italian Open debut, Zarazua is at Wimbledon! Throughout her journey, she enjoyed the support of her brother, Pato, who also plays along with Venus Williams as a hitting partner!

Renata Zarazua’s brother, Pato Zarazua’s connection to tennis!

Pato, who is an ATP/WTA coach and a hitting partner, is always there for her younger sister, Renata. Her brother, who recently posted on his Instagram about the draw match at Wimbledon, captioning it “What an experience,” is no stranger to the high stakes world of tennis. Much like his sister, who grew up idolizing Simona Halep, Zarazua’s interest in tennis started when he was very young.

Pato, who played at his college, Palm Beach Atlantic University, however, now hits with Venus Williams and frequently shares pictures with her on Instagram. “That’s a new job I have, not many know it, but I’m working with her as her personal hitting partner when she has training weeks at her house,” he once said. Not only Williams, his Instagram account reveals his interaction with other renowned players in tennis like, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff!

However, when it comes to supporting his sister, Pato Zarazua is all in! And with this motivation, Renata Zarazua is all ready to make her mark at Wimbledon!