"Girl, what are you doing with your career?!";"Very sad" - Fans react as Emma Raducanu pulls out of French Open 2024 qualifiers
Emma Raducanu recently withdrew from the qualifying round of the 2024 French Open. The decision came after she was refused a wildcard entry into the main draw of the clay court Slam. The decision later garnered numerous reactions from fans.
It was reported that Raducanu wasn't handed a wildcard entry into the upcoming tournament, while players such as Ajla Tomljanovic, Alize Cornet, Fiona Ferro, and others received it.
The decision later caught the attention of fans on X. Most of them were shocked after they found out about the withdrawal.
One fan seemed unconvinced by the call and wished to know the reason behind it.
"Girl … what are you doing with your career?! I wish I knew what was going on behind her decision making."
"Oh dear I didn't expect this. I think @Certinfy may well have been right about Raducanu being a 1 major wonder," another fan wrote.
"Someone wake me up when she actually wins anything of remote importance ever again. Until then, she’s gonna be a cool answer to the “who won a major title as a qualifier” trivia question," a fan chimed in.
A group of fans speculated about the reason behind the Brit's sudden withdrawal. They suggested that Raducanu might be avoiding the risk to her "brand" by not participating in the qualifiers.
"I've tried to be positive about Emma this year but thus just confirms the worst fears, she just won't risk her "brand" by being knocked out in qualifiers. Tennis is not her number 1 priority. Pity"
"No surprises - thinks she is bigger than qualifying when that is exactly what she needs. Brand over tennis. Everyone is starting to see it now. Very sad," a fan said.
"she really needs to go back to ITF for a while if she's serious about tennis but we know she's not, " a fan commented.
"It’s just been back-to-back" - Emma Raducanu on her unfortunate season
Emma Raducanu has not had an ideal season so far. Moreover, her Madrid Open campaign was halted in the first round as the Brit lost to Maria Lourdes Carle 2-6, 2-6. After the match, the Brit disclosed exhaustion as the reason for her unsuccessful campaign so far.
"The last few weeks have been a lot. Starting from the Billie Jean King Cup, I haven’t stopped. It’s just been back-to-back and I was very happy being able to help carry the team in the BJK Cup, then straight to Stuttgart with no rest, then straight here and trying to adapt to the conditions which are very different because it’s outdoors and I was playing indoors for the last month," she said.
Raducanu shocked the world at the 2021 US Open with a stellar campaign. She comprehensively defeated Maria Sakkari in the semi-finals and then went past Leylah Fernandez in the summit clash. The 21-year-old has not won a Grand Slam since then.