Emma Raducanu, the 22-year-old British No. 1, made a pointed remark about top seed Qinwen Zheng’s repeated mid-game interruptions during their Queen’s Club Championships quarter-final on June 13, 2025, where Raducanu fell 6-2, 6-4, per Sportskeeda. Raducanu, frustrated by Zheng’s shoe and racket changes—occurring three times during her service games—told reporters, “I don’t think it’s ideal… The fact it happened three times on my serve, I feel like maybe something could have been done,” subtly implying tactical gamesmanship, per The Telegraph. The crowd booed Zheng, particularly when she changed shoes at a break point in Raducanu’s first service game at 3-2, prompting Raducanu to hit a practice serve, a move BBC’s Annabel Croft noted breached USTA warm-up rules, though the umpire permitted it, per Express.
Zheng, responding to the boos in her press conference, explained, “I slipped three times… I had to change the shoes or I’m gonna break my leg,” expressing surprise at the crowd’s reaction, per Sportskeeda. She maintained focus, leveraging her powerful groundstrokes to win six of the last seven games after Raducanu led 4-1 in the second set following a medical timeout for back spasms, per The Independent. Zheng, the Paris Olympic champion, advanced to face Amanda Anisimova, while Raducanu, who played five matches in five days, including doubles with Katie Boulter, dismissed serious injury concerns, saying, “I need to let the back rest,” per BBC Sport.
Raducanu’s dig, echoed by fans on X like @rowenamezzo questioning Zheng’s timing, sparked debate, with @DExpress_Sport highlighting the rule breach, per. Despite the loss, Raducanu’s run, including wins over Cristina Bucsa and Rebecca Sramkova, reclaimed her British No. 1 ranking, per Sky Sports. As she eyes the Berlin WTA 500 event to prep for Wimbledon, her resilience shone through, though her comments underscored lingering tensions over on-court etiquette, per Sports Illustrated.
