Emma Raducanu under fresh fire over party appearance before loss in Qatar

Emma Raducanu's latest demoralising defeat at the Qatar Open has divided the tennis world after it emerged she attended a party in Dubai 48 hours before the tournament. The former US Open champion blamed a lack of preparation after her 6-0 7-6 defeat to unseeded Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina in the opening round of the tournament in Doha.

Raducanu said afterwards that she struggled with "everything" in what was the 21-year-old's first day match in almost a year. Raducanu made a staggering 48 unforced errors in the match and was bagelled in a first set that lasted just 22 minutes.

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“To be honest I never felt like I really got into it,” Raducanu said after the loss. “I think it was a combination of things. It was my first day match in nearly a year so that’s different and I need to practise training outside a bit more because it is very different and with light fading and shadows. It is hard to see the ball. When the tennis isn’t there I think that you need to at least fight and I did that in the second set."

The 21-year-old - who has struggled with injuries and churned through several coaches since her historic US Open title as a qualifier in 2021 - admitted she couldn't get anything going against Kalinina. “I was struggling with everything, forehand, backhand and return,” she added. “It was hard because she (Kalinina) had a good backhand so I just struggled with the timing of the ball and it is going to come with more time practising. It is hard for me to get used to the tour schedule. I think I need to schedule my tournaments better.”

Emma Raducanu criticised over party appearance in Dubai

However, Times sports writer Stuart Fraser suggested Raducanu's decision to attend a party at a luxury hotel in Dubai 48 hours before the Doha tournament had something to do with her poor performance. The event was attended by celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, and Vanessa Hudgens. Fraser's suggestion that it was not ideal preparation for Raducanu drew support on social media.

Tennis world divided over Emma Raducanu criticism

Plenty of others were critical of Fraser's take though and insisted he should be more supportive of British players, rather than trying to drag them down. Many argued that Raducanu is far from the only player to attend functions or have commitments away from the tennis court, and that her run of serious injuries in 2023 had more to do with her recent struggles.

One user commented: "At best, this is tiresome and irrelevant. At worst, this epitomises much of what is wrong with British media. Disappointing to read from a good journalist who usually has his finger on the pulse." Another said: Sorry @stu_fraser I like your work but this is gutter press stuff you've created here. At a time where we need to support Emma getting back from serious surgery publishing this is the wrong decision and a miscalculation.

A third added: "This is the sort of take you expect from someone on Tennis Forum not an established correspondent in a broadsheet newspaper", while many others pointed out that it's only a one-hour flight from Dubai to Qatar and not likely to have had an effect on Raducanu's preparations.

Raducanu made her first appearance at a grand slam tournament in almost a year during January's Australian Open, having seen injuries wreck the majority of her 2023 season. The Brit underwent surgery on both her wrists and an ankle last year and has been working to try and get back into top shape.

The 21-year-old was bundled out in the second round of the Australian Open and also the second round of the Abu Dhabi Open. While her first round exit in Qatar is perhaps the most disappointing result for Raducanu so far in 2024, she did reach the round of 16 at New Zealand's Auckland Classic in January.

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