Why US Open winner Emma Raducanu is one of tennis' most divisive figures

Divisive star

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

From making history at the 2021 US Open to being an injury-stricken star, is Emma Raducanu one of tennis's most divisive figures?

In the public eye

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

Her US Open success opened her to the public spotlight, winning the 2021 Sports Personality of the Year, the 2021 WTA Newcomer of the Year, and being appointed as an MBE in 2022 for contributions to tennis.

Not playing for her country

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

According to the Express, Raducanu skipped Britain's Billie Jean Cup ties earlier this month, opting to "look after" her body instead of representing her country.

Taking a break

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

The world number 49 enjoyed a great run to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open in April, but instead of carrying on her momentum, Raducanu has done what she has done plenty of times in the past: taken a break and refocused on getting her body right. 58% of Express readers believe she should have represented her country.

No stranger to setbacks

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

Raducanu is no stranger to physical setbacks, so it's been crucial that she doesn't overplay and injure herself again. Even with the break, she's at risk of missing the French Open after injuring her back at the most recent Strasbourg Open.

Minimal time on the court

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

Unfortunately, since her US Open win in 2021, fans have been left frustrated at the minimal amount of time she has spent on the court in the last four years, with constant injuries at the forefront of her troubles.

Injury history

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

She withdrew from multiple tournaments in 2022 with blisters, back pain, and side strains. In 2023, she missed eight months of the season following wrist and ankle surgery, and in 2024, she suffered another foot injury that halted her momentum of breaking into the top 50, per BBC.

Faking injuries?

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

The 22-year-old has missed so many matches due to injury that some fans believe she fakes her injuries if she is losing, so she can get off the court and make an excuse.

Trolls

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

Following her retirement, social media trolls ridiculed Raducanu for withdrawing from another event, with one calling her a "failure" and another saying: "Injured again whilst losing... What a shock."

"Leaves the match out of fear"

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

Per the Metro, another troll said, "I've seen this for years now. Nothing new here. This is exactly the pattern Emma Raducanu has. She would rather give up with a fake injury than lose the match." The final user added, "Whenever Emma starts losing the match, she makes an excuse of injury and leaves the match out of fear."

Is it a coincidence?

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

In the match against Danielle Collins in Strasbourg, Raducanu went 5-0 down in the second set, and her back started to play up. Is it a coincidence, or does she need the right coach in her corner to keep her motivated and to stop her from shying away?

Treatment of coaches

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

Raducanu has become a divisive figure for the way she has treated her coaches in her short career. She has already had eight different ones since her US Open victory.

Provoking her coaches

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

In 2023, after splitting with a fifth coach in two years, Raducanu believed her "provoking" and "challenging" questions partially explained the high turnover.

"Sometimes too intense"

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

The 22-year-old, thinking she doesn't need a coach, can be seen as arrogant for a player who hasn't had the results on the court, but she admits: "I'm someone who works hard and can be intense, but sometimes too intense."

Just not good enough

Divisive star, In the public eye, Not playing for her country, Taking a break, No stranger to setbacks, Minimal time on the court, Injury history, Faking injuries?, "Leaves the match out of fear", Is it a coincidence?, Treatment of coaches, Provoking her coaches, "Sometimes too intense", Just not good enough

Despite her injuries and setbacks, some fans have grown disgruntled with Raducanu because she hasn't performed well enough when she has played. She hasn't won any WTA Tour titles, and outside of winning the US Open, her best Grand Slam result was reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2024.

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