Emma Raducanu blames ‘finger blister’ after falling to a shock three-set defeat to world no 98 Danka Kovinic at the Australian Open
- The 19-year-old lost the first set 6-4, won the second but was drubbed 6-3 in last
- She blamed blister on her finger – which was taped up after a long medical pause
- It comes amid fears the youngster is also becoming distracted by off-court deals
Emma Raducanu has crashed out of the Australian Open with a shock three-set defeat to world number 98 Danka Kovinic.
The 19-year-old lost the first set 6-4, hit back with a 4-6 win in the second, but was drubbed 6-3 in the third of the second round match.
She blamed a blister on her finger – which was taped up after a lengthy medical time-out – saying ‘it’s just unfortunate timing’.
But it comes amid fears the youngster is also becoming distracted by lucrative off-court endorsement deals.
Raducanu has already bagged huge sponsors from brands such as Nike and Tiffany, which saw her wear £40,000 worth of their jewellery in her first round tie.
England rugby coach Eddie Jones referenced her when he previously pointed out how ‘the big thing for good young players is distractions’.
Meanwhile she appears to have struggled since quickly dumping her coach Andrew Richardson after they won the US Open together in September.
She is now being trained by Torben Beltz, a move former tennis star Mats Wilander said had been made too soon in her short career.
The 19-year-old lost the first set 6-4, hit back with a 4-6 win in the second, but was drubbed 6-3 in the third of the second round match
She blamed a blister on her finger – which was taped up after a lengthy medical time-out – saying ‘it’s just unfortunate timing’
But it comes amid fears the youngster is also becoming distracted by lucrative off-court endorsement deals. Pictured: The start walking off court today
Raducanu revealed that members of her team did not want her to play the match on Thursday
Emma Raducanu’s VERY impressive sponsorship deals
Since winning the US Open in September, she has deals with:
- Dior – The teen will represent Dior Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s womenswear collections as well as the luxury brand’s skincare and make-up ranges;
- Tiffany – Brand ambassador in deal said to be worth £2 million;
- Sports Direct – Face of £6million Christmas campaign. She was joined by Euros star Jack Grealish and other young sporting stars;
- Evian – The teenager will be the water brand’s new ambassador, joining the likes of Dua Lipa, Maria Sharapova and Ella Chen;
- British Airways – Global brand ambassador.
Today’s bizarre match saw Raducanu crash out after being reduced to hitting slice forehands due to issues with the blisters.
She took a long medical time-out for treatment after just five games and struggled to find rhythm thereafter.
In her post-match interview she blamed the issues with her racket hand, saying the blisters had been ‘unfortunate timing’.
The Londoner said: ‘It was a difficult match. I was struggling with my hand before the match.
‘There were some people in my team that maybe didn’t want me to play but I wanted to go out there and fight through it, see how far I could get.
‘But I thought it was a pretty good learning experience for me. I discovered tools about myself and my game that I didn’t know I had before so I can take some positives even from this match.’
Raducanu, who was forced off court for three weeks last month after contracting Covid-19, said: ‘I have been struggling with blisters since I started playing really in Australia because 21 days, no tennis, my hands got pretty soft.
‘From day one, day two, I was getting blisters pop up here and there. This particular one has been with me for about five days and I have been trying to tape it for every practice, and it would harden and dry out, but then once I would play again, another layer would just keep ripping off.
‘It ended up being pretty deep. It’s a bit annoying because I know it’s something that will heal in a few days, but it’s just unfortunate timing.’
The young pro was asked if she thought about pulling out again – following her shock withdrawal from Wimbledon with breathing problems last summer.
She added: ‘I fought so hard just to come out to Australia and play here, and I didn’t want to go out like that. So I just left it all out on the court.’
Raducanu won her first round match against US player Sloane Stephens but has failed to replicate her success in New York in September.
Emma Raducanu crashed out of the Australian Open in three sets to Danka Kovinic
The 19-year-old winces in pain as she receives medical attention at the side of the court
Raducanu congratulates Kovinic after the world number 98 advanced to the third round
Questions have been raised over distractions off the court following blockbuster sponsor deals and restructuring her team.
She gained celebrity status with her maiden Grand Slam win at Flushing Meadows, with brands lining up to offer her huge sums.
Days later she found herself among the A-list elite at New York’s Met Gala – the biggest night in fashion.
The teenager was then revealed as the face of jewellery brand Tiffany and Co in a deal estimated to be worth more than £2million.
In October, she became the latest celebrity to be announced as an ambassador for high-end fashion house Dior.
She has since scooped deals with Evian and appeared as the face of Sports Direct’s 2021 Christmas campaign.
Her first round match in Australia saw her dripping in more than £40,000-worth of Tiffany jewellery.
She wore an £18,900 bangle with a matching ring worth £4,975 and matching £2,575 earrings, as well as a link bracelet worth £3,700 and a cross pendant costing £9,875.
Raducanu, who a year ago was still at school, could be worth £6million experts say, with her US Open victory earning her around £2million in prize money alone.
England rugby coach Jones in November said: ‘The big thing for good young players is distractions.
‘There’s a reason why the young girl who won the US Open hasn’t done so well afterwards.
‘What have you seen her on – the front page of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar or whatever it is, wearing Christian Dior clothes.’
But the tennis star hit back in an advert for Nike, where she was on a court emblazoned with the words ‘fluke’, ‘one hit wonder’ and ‘distracted.’
As the commercial came to an end, she looked directly into the camera before the words emerge on the screen: ‘World off, game on.’
Raducanu on Tuesday shone on court in an £18,900 bangle teamed with a matching ring worth £4,975 and matching £2,575 earrings
Raducanu has hit back at criticism she has been ‘distracted’ by lucrative off-court endorsement deals in a new Nike advert
In the advert, which Emma shared on her Instagram page, she can be seen racing across a court emblazoned with the words ‘fluke’, ‘one hit wonder’ and ‘distracted’
Closer to the court her decisions have also raised eyebrows, with her dumping of coach Richardson sending shockwaves through the sport.
She brought in the more experienced Beltz just two weeks after her US Open success, which some felt was a brash move.
Wilander told Eurosport in November: ‘They [young players] need to play the way they want to play, and they need to find out how good they are, and they need to ride the wave of youth and confidence for as far as they can before you start hiring coaches that have helped players to win Grand Slams.
‘She knows how to win a Grand Slam. She won one. She needs to have fun, she needs to be allowed to do what she wants to do off and on the tennis court, and she needs to develop in her own time and not to force coaches on her.
‘I’m not saying that Torben Beltz is not… he’s a great coach, he obviously coached Angie Kerber for a long time.
‘I believe it helped her win Grand Slam tournaments, but Angie Kerber knew how to do that anyway.’
Raducanu had gone into today’s match as the big favourite for a grand slam match for the first time against the world number 98.
But it soon became clear she was faltering, and Kovinic won five games in a row either side of a lengthy medical time-out for the Briton.
By the start of the second set, the 19-year-old was hitting almost exclusively slice forehands – a rarely-used shot in the professional game – but it unsettled Kovinic.
Raducanu’s hit back by taking the second set and was smiling and laughing at the absurdity.
A sharp wince while she received more treatment ahead of the third set appeared to show she was not up for it.
She said of her slices: ‘That was definitely one thing I learned, that a nice slice forehand is not so bad and I have some sort of hand skills.
‘That was a positive surprise. To get that second set with basically one shot, I can’t believe it really.’
The defeat means Raducanu misses out on a first clash with childhood hero Simona Halep for the third time in recent months.
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