Emma Raducanu blown away by Caitlin Clark as British tennis star’s career takes hit

Emma Raducanu has been blown away by basketball sensation Caitlin Clark on a list that features the most marketable athletes in the world. The tennis star has endured a difficult few years on the court and has been forced to battle a series of injury setbacks. Raducanu hit the headlines when she defied the odds to win the 2021 US Open at the age of 18.

But she has failed to sparkle on the court since that triumph and has only progressed beyond the second round of one other Grand Slam. Raducanu missed the majority of the 2023 season after undergoing operations on an ankle and both her wrists. She enjoyed a run to the fourth round of Wimbledon this year but was then dumped out of the US Open in the first round. And she has been unable to return to match action since being forced to retire during her quarter-final showdown with Daria Kasatkina at last month’s Korea Open.

Raducanu signed a host of big-money sponsorship deals in the aftermath of her title success at Flushing Meadows. But she was dealt a blow earlier this month after Porsche reportedly took away her 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet. And her marketability appears to be waning as she has fallen to No. 131 on Sports Pro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes list. The list is compiled using three components – brand strength, total addressable market and economics – with athletes handed a score out of 100 to give an overall reflection of their marketability.

Raducanu received a marketability score of 23.13 this year, which means she has fallen 110 places in the pecking order after being ranked as the 21st most marketable athlete last year. Meanwhile, basketball star Clark has rocketed into the top five after starring for Indiana Fever in the WNBA. The 22-year-old was named Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.2 points and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game.

The talented star has been credited with drawing viewers to the sport and was even compared to NBA great Steph Curry earlier this month. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles tops the list with a score of 96.16, with Real Madrid footballer Vinicius Jr, basketball player LeBron James and football World Cup winner Lionel Messi making up the top five. Coco Gauff was the highest-ranked tennis player in 13th position overall, with Novak Djokovic being placed 18th. Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal have been ranked 29th and 30th respectively.