Renown British journalist Piers Morgan has taken offense to a recent advert featuring Emma Raducanu, claiming the tennis star should focus more on her tennis.
Raducanu starred in a commercial for HSBC Bank, as the financial organization is one of her many sponsors. The advert is a re-worked tale of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, with their origin stories being re-written to send the message that women do not need men to succeed in life.
Morgan rips into Raducanu, says she should focus on tennis and not television
“Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel are all successful young women,” said the 2021 US Open champion during the commercial. “They have used their brains, imagination and good sense to earn enough money to look after themselves without a Prince Charming in sight.
“What a great story. So in the end, the princesses didn’t need a prince to save them. They set up their own businesses, saved their money and spent it very wisely.”
Morgan was quick to give his opinion on the matter, covering the topic at length during an episode of his talk show.
"Of course, we all know, the best way to improve the aspirations of women is by trashing men,” said Morgan sarcastically on his Talk TV show. “As Emma said, women don’t need men at all. She certainly didn’t need men to get to where she is today… except from her father, who manages her career and her five coaches who are all male.
“Then there is her agent Max Eisenbud who is very, very good at maximizing her income… despite the fact he is a man. And then in a final twist of this tale of virtue signaling treachery, it turns out the chairman, chief executive and chief financial officer on HSBC’s board of directors are all men too.”
The outspoken talk show host then proceeded to offer some advice to the young tennis star.
"As a man, here are some words of advice for you Emma,” he added. “I think she’s great and when she won the US Open it was amazing, but she hasn’t won a shoebox since then.
“I think she’s spending too much time on this commercial stuff and not on the court. That’s my view as a man. Take it or leave it.”
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
"She has never needed any men, as far as we know, to get where she is today...
"Except her father, who manages her career... and her five coaches who are male."
@piersmorgan reacts to Emma Raducanu telling young girls they don't need men to succeed in an HSBC revised fairytale.