Emma Raducanu scolded for ‘mind-blowing decision’ and for who is travelling with her

Emma Raducanu has been scolded for her “mind-blowing” tennis schedule and has been warned she is travelling with “too many people around her”. The 21-year-old was forced to retire from her quarter-final showdown with Daria Kasatkina at the weekend after spraining a ligament in her left foot. Raducanu became an overnight sensation when she defied the odds to lift the US Open trophy in 2021 at the age of 18.

But her career has failed to ignite since her Flushing Meadows triumph amid a series of fitness issues. Raducanu decided to sit out the French Open before enjoying a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon in the summer. She was then dumped out of the US Open at the first hurdle. The blockbuster star, who has parted ways with a succession of coaches over the last few seasons, has shunned a whole host of events and has only featured in 13 tournaments since the turn of the year.

And her decisions have been questioned by strength and conditioning coach Kieron Vorster, who counts Tim Henman, Dan Evans and Wayne Ferreira as his former clients. “She just doesn’t play enough matches,” Vorster told the Daily Mail. “She plays an abbreviated clay court season, because she’s got a long grass court season and hard court season coming up and she doesn’t want to be burnt out or get injured.

“Then she was hurt against Lulu Sun in the round of 16 at Wimbledon, then plays one hard court event, goes to the US Open undercooked and loses first round. “I think there could potentially be a lot of ‘yes’ people around her, instead of people telling her what she doesn’t want to hear, ‘You know what, Emma, you need to get out there and play’. She’s a good player. That’s not the issue. But this abbreviated schedule is just mind-blowing.

“There’s too many people around her. She’s got a guy from IMG (the agency who represent her) travelling with her every single week. The tennis world’s gone crazy – gone are the days where you just have your coach and your physical trainer.” Raducanu pulled out of her encounter with Kasatkina after she had been humbled 6-1 in the opening set. And following the match, Kasatkina explained: “First of all, I feel sorry for Emma for retiring during the match. It’s a pity to get injured, especially in the deeper stages on the tournament. I wish her a speedy recovery to get ready for the next tournament.”