EDITOR’S LETTER

What were you doing when you were 19? Winning a Grand Slam? Me neither. Transforming overnight into a global superstar? Sadly not. Defending yourself against a backlash of disappointment? Well, yes (sorry mum and dad), but certainly not on the scale Emma Raducanu faced after being knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round. I loved her easy come, easy go attitude, it was such an antidote to the vitriol being thrown around. For me, her comment of ‘Why is there any pressure? It’s a joke’ was the moment she became a true role model. That’s the spirit we wanted to reflect on our cover: a happy, carefree teenager who also happens to be the British No 1. Raducanu breaks cover to talk tennis things, almost going blonde, not replying to texts and her favourite crisps (brilliant questions by Laura Craik).

Inside, we gear up for the return of one of the greatest moments in the London calendar. Yes, hold tight, Carnival is back! After a three-year hiatus, the end of August will once again see Notting Hill reclaim its streets for a gigantic party. A much-needed salvo that fuses our great city together through the power of music, dancing and Red Stripe, Carnival is something worth protecting. Read our inside story with the organisers as they prepare to get the show back on the road. We also have a My London with a true Carnival veteran, Gaz Mayall (remind me to tell you the story of how I lost half a tooth at his Rockin’ Blues stage many years ago). Plus, all the things we’ve learnt from this season’s Love Island — my takeaway: some Italians really do speak like Jared Leto in House of Gucci.

And that’s it for a month. Myself and the

ES team are taking a well-deserved print break throughout August. How continental I hear you cry! Don’t worry: we’ll be online for the next four weeks and back with a bang on 1 September. In the meantime, whether you’re heading off to a beach somewhere or head-first into a bass bin on St Luke’s Road, enjoy your summer.