“Even Djokovic, Nadal or Serena aren’t this arrogant”, “Bless you Emma Raducanu” – Fans divided over Brit’s “damage control” after US Open fan snub
Fans poured in with mixed reactions after Emma Raducanu apologized to a young fan after snubbing her at a 2024 US Open practice session (Source: Getty)
“Even Djokovic, Nadal or Serena aren’t this arrogant”, “Bless you Emma Raducanu” – Fans divided over Brit’s “damage control” after US Open fan snub
Emma Raducanu has polarized tennis fans after issuing an apology to a little girl who named the Brit as her favorite player. The apology came in the wake of a report, which claimed that the former World No. 10 had refused to interact with fans at a 2024 US Open practice session, leaving the little girl disappointed.
Raducanu is heading into this year’s last Major on the back of a chaotic period, which saw her miss the majority of the buildup to the US Open. Her sole appearance in the 2024 US Open Series so far came at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Paula Badosa.The former World No. 10 is in New York right now, gearing up for her first-round match against former World No. 4 Sofia Kenin. On Thursday, August 22, Raducanu trained on the practice courts with fans in attendance. One of the fans, a little girl, revealed that the Brit is her favorite player during a brief courtside interview. The interviewer tried to get Raducanu to meet her and take a photo, but the Brit declined.
Raducanu’s refusal was soon reported on X (formerly Twitter), following which she came under fierce scrutiny. Later, the 21-year-old took to the platform herself to render an apology to the little girl, writing:
“To the little girl far up in the stands who said I was her favourite player at this mornings practice, I heard you and it made my heart smile. I’m very sorry I had to rush off after practice and I couldn’t see you near the court but please forgive me and I hope to find a way to meet you or arrange a signed something or photo.”
Several fans maintained their critical stance towards Raducanu, even after she apologized. One of them opined that even the likes of the legendary Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, despite their staggering achievements, continue to spare time for interacting with their fans.
“First that drama with last match of @andy_murray at Wimbledon and now this, why the arrogance ? You are no Djoker or Nadal or Serena and even they aren’t this arrogant or come off as this aloof from the fans. It’s the fans who make the celebrities ma’am @EmmaRaducanu,” the fan wrote, who also referred to Raducanu pulling out from the mixed doubles event at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, bringing about an anti-climactic end to Andy Murray’s SW19 career.
“PR damage control in full force from Emma Raducanu! People who were actually there saw that she declined to sign any autographs and be interviewed. She’s such a diva and PR merchant. Defense comes out when her true self is seen and is called out!” commented another fan.
“Raducanu declined to meet a kid who says “Raducanu is her favorite player” Now she comes up with this tweet as damage control. That’s the story, there is no “Nice player” here, this is just PR trying to preserve her image as an influencer, that’s about it!” another chimed in.
However, there were others who lauded Raducanu for apologizing and hoped that the Brit and the little girl would get to meet soon.
“Bless you Emma, very sweet and lovely to hear professionals acknowledging their fans like this,” wrote a fan.
“Really hope you can connect with the little girl and make her year,” another fan stated.
“Wow, they say better late than never, you realised it was bad from PR side… good luck with that girl, not sure she still has you as a favourite though,” another weighed in.
“Couldn’t be happier with the way Emma Raducanu is as a professional athlete” – Brit’s ex-coach Dmitry Tursunov
In November 2022, former ATP World No. 20 Dmitry Tursunov told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview that Raducanu does not possess any “aura of diva or superstar”, despite a widespread perception that she sees herself as one. Tursunov had briefly coached the Brit during the 2022 US Open Series, but they split after failing to agree on terms.
“Honestly, I did not see or feel that there were lots of outside things going on. From the time that we started, Emma just really had her nose to the ground. She was very hard working and did not see her skip a lot of things. There was no aura of diva or superstar about her and I think she has been managing that part very well. I was super impressed with her and couldn’t be happier with the way she is as a professional athlete,” Tursunov said at the time.
Raducanu is set to kickstart her 2024 US Open campaign against Sofia Kenin on Tuesday, August 27. It is slated to mark the former top 10 pair’s maiden clash on the WTA Tour.
