"You don’t have to like Emma or even think she’s going to be successful in the future, but you can’t deny her mentality" - Tennis fans react to Emma Raducanu's contingency plan for poor US Open 2022 campaign
Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu will be the most-watched player at Flushing Meadows at the end of the month, with the whole world waiting to see if the teenager can recreate her miraculous US Open run from last year.
However, the chances of the Brit living up to the enormous expectations placed on her are looking very remote, seeing as she has won only 11 out of her 25 matches in 2022 so far. With 2000 points at stake at the New York Major, Raducanu's future very much hangs in the balance.
Speaking at her press conference ahead of her opener at the Cincinnati Open, the World No. 11, however, did not appear bothered by the enormity of the situation.
Recalling how she won the 2021 edition of the US Open as a qualifier, Raducanu declared that she was confident in her ability to pull off another bolt from the blue even if she falls down the rankings due to a poor showing in New York.
“If I lose 2,000 points so be it, I’ll start again from the bottom. I know I can do something that no one else has done," Emma Raducanu said. "I qualified and won the US Open, so I can start from the beginning, I can start from zero and I’m not afraid of that."
The teenager's comments that she was not afraid to "start from zero" resonated with a lot of tennis fans on social media, who heaped praise on her for the mental fortitude she displayed. One fan thought the same, posting:
"You don’t have to like Emma, or even think she’s going to be successful in the future, but you can’t deny her mentality. She knows where she really is, how her game is right now, she isn’t operating under any delusions she’s the best in the world, she’s still working hard."
You don’t have to like Emma, or even think she’s going to be successful in the future, but you can’t deny her mentality
She knows where she really is, how her game is right now, she isn’t operating under any delusions she’s the best in the world, she’s still working hard twitter.com/reemabulleil/s…
I like her mentality like whatever you think of her she’s got great mental fortitude twitter.com/reemabulleil/s…
Another fan blamed the media for repeatedly asking such questions to the Brit, to the point where she sounded like a "broken record," tweeting:
"The journalists make her sound like a broken records, mainly because she's constantly asked the same questions."
@ReemAbulleil The journalists make her sound like a broken records, mainly because she's constantly asked the same questions.
For the most part, fans agreed with Raducanu, suggesting that a drop in the rankings would prove beneficial to her since it would allow her to play with significantly less pressure. One fan posted on the same:
"Legit think it would help [Emma Raducanu] to take a fall in the rankings and have to work her way back up. A bit less pressure and this time she can have a more natural progression and her ranking will be more indicative of her level and so expectations will be more aligned."
Legit think it would help her to take a fall in the rankings and have to work her way back up. A bit less pressure and this time she can have a more natural progression and her ranking will be more indicative of her level and so expectations will be more aligned twitter.com/reemabulleil/s…
Here are a few more reactions:
@leo_gaurav10 @ReemAbulleil You're proving her point. Who cares if that's her future ceilling/results? The fact the she won a GS the way she did, she's already part of the history books because of that. Noone can take that away from her.
@ReemAbulleil Cue the keyboard warriors who have nothing better to do but make negative comments…
@ReemAbulleil Good on her. I admire her poise with the attention and pressure that comes with doing something no one’s done & so young. The media would love for her to crack cause it’ll make a million clicks but she continues calm, resolute &proud of what she achieved, working hard for more.
@ReemAbulleil Raducanu will always be a US Open champion even if she retired today.
She's young. Talented. I think she'll have great moments in her career.
People calling her a fluke should back off and ask where they were at 18.
@ReemAbulleil Emma is rightly stating that it won't be the end of the world if her ranking drops after the US Open.Her exemplary attitude and positive mindset will ensure she continues to develop her game and progress on her own timeline!
@EmmaRaducanu sign of a true champ! twitter.com/reemabulleil/s…Fair play! She will always be the first qualifier to win a grand slam and losing 2000 points won’t ever take that away from a fantastic unbelievable achievement 🏆@EmmaRaducanu sign of a true champ! twitter.com/reemabulleil/s…
I think starting from zero could benefit her a lot, actually. She was thrown in at the deep end and it's clear she wasn't ready for that at all. Being able to start more in the smaller tournaments and compete with players at a similar level could be useful in the long-run. twitter.com/ReemAbulleil/s…
Idk why folks are saying this is arrogant? Like this is a very pragmatic mindset twitter.com/reemabulleil/s…
Watch this girl climb all the way to the top the moment she regains her footing. She really did reach one of the greatest achievements in tennis. Emma Raducanu did something legendary, no matter how people try to spin it. twitter.com/ReemAbulleil/s…
Emma Raducanu kicks off her 2022 Cincinnati Open campaign against Serena Williams
Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu will kick off her 2022 Cincinnati Open campaign, the last tournament in the lead-up to the US Open, with a first-round clash against Serena Williams. This is the first time the teenager is facing off against the 23-time Grand Slam champion, setting up a blockbuster clash on Tuesday.
The winner of the encounter will take on either Victoria Azarenka or Kaia Kanepi in the second round, with seventh seed Jessica Pegula and fourth seed Maria Sakkari likely to set up third-round and quarterfinal meetings down the road.
While second seed Anett Kontaveit is the highest-ranked player in the bottom half of the draw, top seed Iga Swiatek is expected to reach the summit clash from the other half.