Emma Raducanu and Rafael Nadal inspire Ryan Peniston in ‘best week of career’ at Queen’s

Ryan Peniston has opened up on the inspiration he draws from fellow British players like Emma Raducanu and his favourite player Rafael Nadal after reaching the quarter-final of his first-ever ATP Tour event at Queen’s. The 26-year-old wildcard won the last four games in his match against Francisco Cerundolo on Thursday to book his spot in the last eight.

Peniston was a last-minute addition to the Queen’s draw after Andy Murray’s Stuttgart run allowed him to gain a special exempt, freeing up a wildcard spot for the world No 180. He downed top seed and recent French Open finalist Casper Ruud in the first round before coming from 2-4 down in the final set to beat world No 46 Cerundolo 6-0 4-6 6-4 on Thursday.

During his opening round match, the Essex native was also announced as one of the Wimbledon wildcard recipients and admitted it had been the best week of his life after his win on Thursday. “Yes, definitely. It’s been a roller coaster so far, bit like a dream and I can’t really think of anything that tops it really,” he said after beating the Argentine.

And the 26-year-old also shared where he drew inspiration from, citing 22-time Major champion Nadal as his favourite player on the Tour while also admitting success achieved by the likes of Raducanu gave him belief. “It’s really inspiring to see the British players do those kind of things,” he said when asked about the world No 11’s unprecedented US Open win.

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And asked who inspired him the most on the ATP Tour, Peniston said: “Has to be Rafa for me. Just his whole spirit, the way he carries himself, and he just fights like his life depends on every point. I just, yes, find it so inspiring.”

The Southend local also opened up on seeing Nadal in person while in Melbourne during the Australian Open earlier this year. “Like we touched on earlier, you get a little used to it. I was in Australia this year, the start of this year, and went to a locker room and turning round just behind me Rafa was walking in as well. It’s a bit of a shock. It’s Rafa, but no, it’s definitely cool. It’s a cool experience to be around the same environment,” he said.

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