Emma Raducanu dismisses online trolls after Wimbledon exit – ‘I’m a Slam champion, so no one’s going to take that away from me’
- 19-year-old crashes out of Wimbledon after second round loss to France’s Caroline Garcia
- Raducanu won the US Open in 2021 as an unseeded player, but has not made it past the second round at a major since
The Twitter trolls are at it again, this time over Emma Raducanu’s second round exit from Wimbledon.
Fans took to social media to blast the 19-year-old’s performance on Centre Court – where she was outclassed by France’s Caroline Garcia in a rapid 6-3, 6-3 defeat.
Calls of “overrated” were quick to follow her loss, with some even going so far as to say she will never win anything ever again.
“One shot wonder,” said one Twitter user. “Won’t win anything ever again,” said another.
Raducanu won the US Open at Flushing Meadows in September 2021 as an unseeded player who went through qualifying at age 18. Since then, she’s had a birthday – and has not made it past the second round at a major.
“There’s no pressure. Like, why is there any pressure? I’m still 19. Like, it’s a joke. I literally won a Slam,” Raducanu said. “Yes, I have had attention. But I’m a Slam champion, so no one’s going to take that away from me. Yeah, if anything, the pressure is on those who haven’t done that.”
Some, however, remain sceptical if she has the potential to get back to her winning ways.
“I’m still perplexed has to how she won the open,” one Twitter user said. “Shown nothing even resembling a grand slam winner. Still young and must have something but miles away from where I thought she’d be.”
For her part, the 19-year-old remained upbeat. “It’s OK because coming into this I didn’t really have many expectations of myself. For me, everything is learning,” said Raducanu, who was seeded 10th.
Her build-up to Wimbledon had been less than ideal – she played just seven games because of a side strain she picked up in Nottingham – and that was undoubtedly a factor in her defeat.
“I’ve played seven hours of tennis in a month. To even compete with these girls at this level and win a round I think is a pretty good achievement.”
Raducanu said she would continue to “embrace every single moment” that tennis had to offer, but remained upbeat after a straight-set exit at Wimbledon that left Centre Court deflated.
