“I don’t think it’s ideal” – Emma Raducanu makes frustrations clear with Zheng Qinwen’s repeated mid-game breaks during Queen’s Club loss

Emma Raducanu voiced her irritation after a 6-2, 6-4 loss to top seed Qinwen Zheng in the Queen’s Club Championships quarter-finals on June 13, 2025, highlighting the Chinese player’s repeated mid-game interruptions as disruptive, per Sportskeeda. Raducanu, the new British No. 1, specifically criticized Zheng’s decisions to change shoes and her racket during critical moments, stating post-match, “I don’t think it’s ideal… It happened three times on my service game. The umpire makes his call, but I can’t really do anything about it,” per The Telegraph. The crowd also expressed displeasure, booing Zheng when she paused to swap shoes at a break point in Raducanu’s first service game at 3-2, per Express.

During one such delay, Raducanu hit a practice serve, an action BBC commentator Annabel Croft noted was against USTA rules, which stipulate warm-up serves should occur before the match, though the umpire allowed it, per Express. Zheng, who slipped three times early in the match, defended her shoe change, saying, “I had to change the shoes or I’m gonna break my leg,” and apologized for upsetting the crowd, per Sportskeeda. Despite a strong start in the second set, where Raducanu led 4-1 after a medical timeout for back spasms, Zheng’s powerful groundstrokes and regained momentum saw her win six of the final seven games, per The Independent.

Raducanu, who had cruised past Cristina Bucsa and Rebecca Sramkova earlier, acknowledged the physical toll of playing five matches, including doubles, saying, “I need to let the back rest,” but downplayed long-term injury concerns, per BBC Sport. Zheng’s interruptions, while legal, disrupted Raducanu’s rhythm, with fans on X, like @rowenamezzo, questioning the timing, per. Zheng advanced to face Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals, while Raducanu eyes the Berlin WTA 500 event to build for Wimbledon, per Sports Illustrated.