Emma Raducanu's frustrated tears, Caroline Garcia reveals death threats & more: 5 stars who have spoken up after US Open 1R exit
The US Open 2024 has already seen shocking results in the opening round of fixtures. 2021 champion Emma Raducanu and other hopefuls like Holger Rune and Karen Khachnov have been knocked out in the first round. With their Grand Slam dream over, these tennis stars opened up about their frustration and problems after their defeat.
Rune admitted that he was not good enough on the day, while Khachnov penned an emotional letter to his fans asking for patience after his latest Grand Slam disappointment. Here is a list of five tennis players who spoke up after their first-round US Open exit.
Five players who spoke up after their US Open exits
#1 Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu burst into tears while talking to the press about her first-round US Open defeat. The Brit star has struggled with injuries and surgeries for the last two years and this latest defeat at the hands of Sofia Kenin pushed the 21-year-old over the edge.
Raducanu said she was disappointed after her first-round exit and fought back tears while discussing the match. The Brit star added that she would return to the drawing board and prepare for the rest of the season.
"Yeah, I feel down, like I feel sad. This is a tournament I really want to do well in. I'm just going to go back to the drawing board and train and analyze where I went wrong and try and improve for the rest of the season," she said.
This first-round defeat at the US Open 2024 means that Raducanu is yet to win a match at Flushing Meadows since winning the title in 2021.
#2 Holger Rune
Holger Rune's Grand Slam misery continued as the young Dane lost to the American Brandon Nakashima in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. Rune struggled throughout the match before losing in just under two hours.
After his defeat, Rune wrote a self-critical post about his current form and admitted that he needed to play better to win. The Danish star claimed he was far from his best and added that his opponent deserved the win. Rune will look to end the year on a high and qualify for the ATP finals.
"Big bummer yesterday. The best support, lots of happy tennis kids, perfect weather, perfect court and tournament and I played extremely bad tennis. No offence to my opponent, but I managed only 39% !! first serves, tons of unforced errors, this is not what I or anyone should expect. I will not let you down anymore," he said.
#3 Danielle Collins
Danielle Collins suffered a first-round loss against fellow American Caroline Dolehide at the US Open. The 30-year-old is set to retire at the end of the season, having announced her retirement in January. However, despite her good form throughout the season, the American star could not mount a memorable challenge at the US Open.
After her loss, Collins quickly disappeared into the locker room, putting a damper on any farewell celebrations by the US Tennis Association. The American star later revealed that she is a private person and does not like to celebrate her accomplishments. She further said she has gotten enough attention throughout her career and wants to enjoy her retirement peacefully.
"I'm not great, honestly, at having, like, an all-about-me moment," she said. "I just, yeah, would prefer to do something like that maybe in private, you know. But I feel like I've gotten enough attention to last a lifetime," she said.
#4 Karen Khachanov
Russian ace Karen Khachanov was involved in a roller-coaster clash against Dan Evans in the first round of the US Open. The two stars put on a show for the fans that lasted 5 hours and 35 minutes. Khachanov lost two tie-breaks before eventually losing the deciding set to lose the match 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 in the longest-ever US Open match in the Open Era.
After his defeat, Khachanov penned an emotional post for his fans on his social media account. The Russian asked for patience and companionship from his fans after a tough defeat. Khachanov vowed that he will come back strong from his defeat and asked for more kindness against cyberbullying.
"Please, I am asking you to be respectful. Don’t strike a man when he is down. I may be down but not out! I am sure I can get over this, do the right work, and get back on court better than before. I will be grateful for all the support that I get. Let’s be kind to one another. Less hate and more love and the world will become a better place," he said.
#5 Caroline Garcia
Caroline Garcia lost her first-round match at the US Open against Renata Zarazua 6-1, 6-4. The French star was one of the favorites to go deep in the tournament however suffered a shock exit in the first round at Flushing Meadows.
After her defeat, Garcia took to social media and shared some derogatory comments from under her posts. Some of them included harsh words against her family including her mother which angered the French star.
"This are some of the messages I received lately after losing some matches. Just a few of them. There’s hundreds. And now, being 30 years old, although they still hurt, because at the end of the day, I’m just a normal girl working really hard and trying my best, I have tools and have done work to protect myself from this hate. But still, this is not ok," she said.
Many other tennis stars like Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Katie Boulter, and Paula Badosa supported Garcia and called for a stop to cyberbullying.