Emma Raducanu shoots down tennis ‘sharks’ who see ‘her as their piggy bank’ since breakthrough in US Open
Emma Raducanu blasts tennis ‘sharks’ who ‘have seen her as their piggy bank’ since US Open breakthrough
- Tennis star Emma Raducanu labeled women’s tour ‘completely brutal’
Tennis star Emma Raducanu has labeled the women’s tour as “completely brutal,” describing it as “not a very nice, familiar and safe space.”
In an excoriating assessment of the way young players are treated, she denounced the way industry “sharks” have seen her as their “piggy bank” since her breakthrough at the US Open two years ago.
Since her shock win in the big tournament, Ms Raducanu has signed multi-million pound sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Tiffany & Co, British Airways and Vodafone. She told The Sunday Times: ‘I had to grow up really fast. When I won, I was extremely naive. What I’ve realized over the past two years, the tour and everything that comes with it, it’s not a very nice, familiar and safe space.
“You have to be on your guard, because there are a lot of sharks there. I think people in the industry, especially with me because I was 19, now 20, they see me as a piggy bank.
“It was difficult to navigate. I got burned a few times. I’ve learned, keep your circle as small as possible.’
GLAMORUS: Tennis star Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu in action against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in her first round match at the Tennis Grand Prix Stuttgart on April 18 in Stuttgart, Germany
Ms Raducanu said her experience was also marred by a series of injuries – she is recovering from three operations – and the pain escalated after last year’s Wimbledon. “I struggled with the physical pain, but the mental side of it was also really hard for me,” she said.
“If I lost a match I would be really down. I was under so much pressure to perform, people had no idea what was going on and I had to have this facade. I am very young and still learning and making mistakes. It’s a lot harder when you make mistakes in front of everyone… the tour is completely unforgiving.’
Despite her experiences, the past two years have brought Raducanu personal happiness – she has developed a close friendship with former Harrow head boy Carlo Agostinelli, 22.
They are said to have met when she became Dior’s “global ambassador” and was introduced to Mathilde Favier, the company’s head of public relations in Paris, Carlo’s mother.