Emma Raducanu has revealed how she has had to deal with “sharks” and people who use her as a “piggy bank” since her US Open success in 2021.
Raducanu became an overnight star when she memorably won at Flushing Meadows as an 18-year-old in only her second Grand Slam, just three months after finishing her A-Levels.
That victory transformed her into one of the most marketable sportspeople in the world, with a raft of high-end sponsorship deals, but life on the court has been tough for her since then as she has tried to establish herself on the women’s WTA Tour against the backdrop of a glut of injury issues.
The Brit, now 20 and possibly out for the season following wrist and ankle surgery, admitted she was naive following her US Open win and has been taken advantage of.
“When I won I was extremely naïve. What I have realised in the past two years, the tour and everything that comes with it, it’s not a very nice, trusting and safe space. You have to be on guard because there are a lot of sharks out there. I think people in the industry, especially with me because I was 19, now 20, they see me as a piggy bank, Raducanu told The Sunday Times.
It remains to be seen whether Raducanu, who has been displaced as British No 1 by Katie Boulter, will play again this year following her double surgery.
And she admitted her desire not to seem weak to a newly-appointed coach saw her play through the pain and make the injury worse while also revealing how she suffered mentally.
“The pain [in the wrists] escalated last summer after Wimbledon. I started with a new coach and I was really motivated to get going. We were overtraining, a lot of repetition, and I carried on even through pain because I didn’t want to be perceived as weak,” she added.