🗣️ "I felt like I never really got into it" Emma Raducanu says she struggled with 'everything' following her exit from the Qatar Open 🎾
"They’re like she's out partying, I'm like no": Perception of Emma Raducanu Doha loss caused by Dubai event slammed by Andy Roddick
WTAThursday, 29 February 2024 at 16:30
Andy Roddick has come to the defence of Emma Raducanu after the Brit was alleged to attended a party prior to her first round match at the Qatar Open.
Raducanu was pictured at the opening of a luxurious hotel in Doha, 48 hours before losing to Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets.
Responding to backlash the 21-year-old has faced, Roddick explained on his podcast that Raducanu may have felt obliged to "give something back" after receiving a wildcard for the tournament. "Last week, I saw some British rag, ‘Emma Raducanu at a party two days before she plays her first round,’" he said on Served with Andy Roddick.
"One – she’s a wild card. If you’re a wild card it’s like, I’m asking you for a direct entry into a tournament, which your ranking does not get you into. But whenever you get a wild card for the history of time, you have to give something back to the tournament."
Wildcard lifestyle
Receiving a wildcard is something that tennis players, especially those out of form, crave. It can provide an opportunity to go deep in an event they wouldn't have otherwise qualified for. Despite winning the US Open in 2021, Raducanu has had to mainly rely on them since returning from various injuries.
"Normally it’s like, I’m not a name, I haven’t won the US Open at that point, so I’m participating in clinics or I’m hitting with a sponsor’s kid... or who knows what it might actually be. They’re like, she’s out partying," Roddick added.
"I’m like, no. She went to an appearance that was probably the reason why she… Maybe I’m projecting here but it’s not out of bounds. She went to this thing, took a picture sitting down, no drink in the hand, no nothing. Party? The headline’s impossible!"
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