Emma Raducanu is told to STOP focusing on ‘toxic’ social media by ex-Olympic champion Monica Puig

Former Olympic champion Monica Puig has urged Emma Raducanu to focus less on social media if the 20-year-old wants to return to the top of tennis and repeat her impressive US Open title feat.

Puig, who became the first Puerto Rican to win Olympic gold in Rio 2016, warned that social media is a “toxic” environment, especially for a young tennis star like Raducanu.

The young Briton shocked the sport by triumphing at Flushing Meadows as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021, but has struggled to start her career ever since.

Beset by bad luck in the two years since, Raducanu has suffered blisters and other minor injuries, suffered cuts and changed coaches and has even tested positive for coronavirus while preparing for a major tournament.

Puig admitted that he “sympathizes” with the British star and believes he still has the chops to return to the top of the sport.

“I saw her many times on the court during the US Open when she won that title and she is a very talented player,” Puig said. sky sports.

“Physically, he is still very young. I’m not going to say that she is already a very established player with a lot of experience. She won that US Open title without having played many WTA events and hasn’t had a full schedule.

She still needs time to develop and time to figure out who she is as a tennis player, who she is as a person and I can sympathize with her because when I won the Olympics she came out of nowhere.

“I didn’t get as much media attention as she did and I can only imagine coming from the UK where something like that is so big. It just exploded.

Since his meteoric rise to stardom, Raducanu has regularly used social media to promote his brand deals, developing an endorsement portfolio that includes Nike, Porsche, Evian, Dior, Wilson, HSBC, Vodafone and British Airways.

Puig warned Raducanu not to “focus” on social networks, even if it is an effective way to “boost” the brand.

“Don’t focus on social media because we all know social media is a great tool to boost your brand, but it can be toxic, especially for a person like Raducanu who has so many people following her and so many people wanting to see her.” she is successful and so are a lot of people who are not,” she added.

‘You’re not going to have everyone who loves you. You are going to have those who are not going to like you.

“She has a great future ahead of her if she’s able to settle down, but once she does and organizes herself in the way that works for her, she can end up making big strides and doing some really cool stuff.” Now it’s just about that consistency day after day and believing that he can do it again.

I’m not saying you should leave social media alone because part of being a tennis player is having to deal with all these sponsorships that have come your way and you deserve it because you won a Grand Slam title.

“Those endorsement deals come with obligations, and if you don’t meet those obligations, the brand won’t get what it needs from you. The brand needs you to perform on the court, so you’re exposed, you’re out there, you’re promoting their stuff.

‘You can make more money off the court than on it, but on the court it’s important to focus and spend all your time on your craft because that’s what got you there. At the end of the day, you win matching dollar signs and new contracts.’