Emma Raducanu gambled with the court of public opinion – and it has backfired
Perceptions matter in the court of public opinion and that’s why Emma Raducanu’s decision to pull out of French Open qualifying may do lasting damage.
With a current world ranking of No 212, the 21-year-old has been using her status as a Grand Slam champion and the legacy of her remarkable 2021 US Open win to get into tournaments she does not qualify for.
Raducanu’s huge social media following adds to the appeal for tournament directors when they consider where to distribute their wildcards, with her association with management company IMG also enhancing her chances to get a pass to play in big tournaments like the Madrid Open, as her advisers are owners of that WTA 1000 event.
Yet Raducanu’s pulling power is waning rapidly after the events of recent weeks and her decision to pull out of French Open qualifying adds to the questions mounting around her once again.
The Brit had been expected to try to fight her way through three rounds of qualifying at Roland Garros, as she famously did on her way to the US Open title.
Yet the manner of her decision to step aside from playing in qualifying at Roland Garros left what may be an unfair impression that she didn’t want to take a step back in her career by playing at a level her current ranking suggests she belongs at.
“It’s important for me to keep laying on the foundations and I will use the time to do a healthy block before the grass and subsequent hard-court seasons to give myself a chance to keep fit for the rest of the year,” said Raducanu, in a statement released after it was confirmed she was no longer on the French Open qualifying list.
Raducanu entered that qualifying tournament using her protected ranking of No 103, which was the ranking she held when she took a break from the game to undergo surgery on her wrists and ankle this time last year.
Yet her decision to step away from the chance to compete at the second Grand Slam of 2024 leaves a lot of questions and a perception that ‘Brand Emma’ didn’t want to be seen playing – and possibly losing – in qualifying competitions.
Many on social media forums didn’t need much of a prompt to float the theory that qualifying failure in Paris would not be welcomed by Raducanu’s long list of sponsors and while is almost certainly not the reason why she pulled out of the French Open, it played into a negative perception many critics have of Raducanu after three years of woes on the court following her New York fairytale.
The Brit has not been seen on a tennis court since her bizarrely poor performance at the Madrid Open, when she accepted a wildcard into the main draw and then served up a horribly flat performance as she lost against Argentinian qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle.
She went on to suggest fatigue was at the heart of her issues in Madrid, which seemed like a curious excuse as she has only played 16 competitive tennis matches in this calendar year.
READ MORE: Emma Raducanu’s contentious French Open move was ‘an easy decision’
“I would say the last few weeks have been a lot,” she said.
“I think from the performance today it was very clear that mentally and emotionally I was exhausted.
“I was trying to push through and I was just unable to push through today. I guess the sport is just pretty brutal.”
Criticism of Raducanu’s performance in Madrid was stinging, with Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong surprisingly outspoken in her condemnation of a player she will hope to work with at November’s Finals in Seville.
“I don’t think you can analyse the tennis because Emma the performer didn’t show up,” Keothavong told Sky Sports after the defeat against Carle.
“And if any athlete doesn’t show up ready to play, you don’t really stand a chance. Credit her opponent, who came out with fire and energy and she was the one who looked up for it and was ready for the fight.
“We talk a lot about head, heart and legs, and if your head and your heart aren’t in it, your legs don’t stand a chance.
“It was really disappointing to see. She said she was tired, but do you talk yourself into more tiredness?”
Those words from Keothavong questioning Raducanu’s heart for the battle will now be raised once again after her Roland Garros decision as some will conclude she didn’t fancy the challenge of playing lower-ranked opponents in a bid to get into the French Open draw.
The option Raducanu has taken may lead some to conclude she doesn’t fancy the grind of fighting her way up the ranking and prefers to take the succession of wildcards that will come her way in Britain, including the pass into the Wimbledon Championships at the start of July.
If Raducanu performs well in the grass court events, she could secure a rankings boost that will ensure she doesn’t need to think about qualifying or wildcards for some time to come.
Alternatively, early defeats would leave Raducanu running out of options as tournament directors may look at her form and conclude she is not a safe bet to guarantee entertainment for the crowds at their events.
Raducanu may also need to play in qualifying to get into the US Open in September, which she did three years ago en-route to the title, but there have to be doubts over whether she would play in the preliminary event at Flushing Meadows given her decision to drop out of the French Open.
Yet amid this negativity, tennis should hope the Raducanu revival is just around the corner as she could still be a massive asset to the women’s game.
This is not the end of the Raducanu story as her tennis talents should ensure she has more moments of glory ahead of her, but only if she has the desire to reach out and grab it.
