Home » Sport » Emma in Prague. Sensations in decline, sponsors flock anyway. Critics and stalkers on the scene

Emma in Prague. Sensations in decline, sponsors flock anyway. Critics and stalkers on the scene

He is responsible for one of the greatest sensations in the whole of tennis history. No one will ever deny it to her, even if she has not won a courtesy in the court. Emma Raducanu is facing a significant slowdown after last year’s phenomenal drive from the qualification for the title at the US Open, but her portfolio of sponsors is constantly growing despite the defeats. What will he show in Prague?

Critics accuse her of preferring marketing and social events over training, signing one lucrative sponsorship deal after another. This week, however, the 19-year-old native of Toronto, Canada, is working hard on Prague’s Štvanice until clay is dusted behind her sneakers.

On Friday and Saturday, he will play the role of the British number one in the fight for the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup against the domestic Czech favorites.

Seven months ago in New York, she shocked the sports world without exaggeration. She won the Grand Slam title as a player in the second hundred and as the first qualifier in history. She became the first tennis player in history to win ten matches in a single tournament. Moreover, without losing the set and without a single tie-break.

It immediately turned into a gold mine, and it was no surprise that a flock of prominent companies hungry for cooperation came upon the daughter of a Romanian father and a Chinese mother.

When she recently lost in the second round to the Czech Kateřina Siniaková in Miami, and in the same week she announced a partnership with the car manufacturer Porsche, especially on social networks.

“You may see on the news or on the networks that I signed this and that contract, which is terribly misleading because I train five or six hours a day. I spend twelve hours a day at the club,” Raducanu said in the British media.

“I share one photo from the car when I go to training, and suddenly everyone writes me to focus on tennis. It’s not fair. I only spend a very limited amount of time with sponsors,” the face of Evian, Dior, Tiffany and Co. continued. , Vodafone or British Airways.

Raducanu is quickly building her brand and already earns more in the field of advertising than tennis.

“I am grateful for contracts, but most of all I focus on tennis. That is my clear priority,” she said at the end of March.

The stop came from world tennis icon Chris Evert. On the contrary, she praised Raducan for his enormous pressure.

“Being a superstar in England is the hardest thing in the world for athletes. Even worse than in America. The boulevard in England is brutal, relentless, you have to have hippo skin and Emma handles it well. It works hard and it’s hard to turn down advertising opportunities “The winner of eighteen grand slam tournaments” told Eurosport.

According to Evert, Raducan has an experience that no one else before her has practically experienced.

“Winning a grand slam when you’re not in a hundred? It’s something crazy to follow. But it has a great game and a great approach. I’m not worried about it,” the tennis legend added.

However, another former American star, Pam Shriver, doubted that the Raducan would soon be able to follow up on the remarkable and lightning-fast rise.

“The only thing that stays the same is her name and the sport she does. Everything else has changed for her. And if you’re a teenager, there can be too many changes. I’d be surprised if she was still in her top 20 at the end of the year, “she said.

Everything that has met the 19-year-old girl in the last year has been compounded by the dark sides of the giant’s popularity.

Since last November, the new global superstar has been persecuted by a 35-year-old worshiper. He spent her weeks at her parents’ house in London, leaving her unsolicited gifts and love messages. Before Christmas, he decorated the tree in front of her house with Christmas lights, and Raducanu turned to court after several awkward meetings.

She said she felt robbed of her freedom. Stalker was given a rest ban for five years, community service and an ankle electronic bracelet.

The nineteen-year-old girl gets used to a completely new life and you know it on the courts. She has played in eight tournaments since the US Open and has won just four games. There were also health problems in the back and left hip.

“I have to step up and I have to learn to be patient. There is also a need for those who follow me to be patient,” the 12th player in the current world rankings told fans and critics.

In Prague, he will play the role of team leader, with clay, which will be played at Prague’s Štvanice, but he has absolutely minimal experience. In the statistics, he has not played a single official match between the women.

“But if someone wins the grand slam, they will probably be dangerous,” said Czech captain Petr Pála. “It’s a different game, of course, and we need to get into her head. But the girl has a huge future,” he added.

British tennis players in training at Štvanice:

British captain Anne Keothavong admitted that Raducanu was going through a difficult period.

“There has been and is a lot of noise around her. She is learning to work with it. She has to get used to the attention and expectations associated with the Grand Slam winner. She is a smart girl, I have no doubt she can handle it,” she said.

After reaching the final of Roland Garros in 2019, the then nineteen-year-old number one of the Czech team, Markéta Vondroušová, experienced a similar burden. “But there’s about a thousand times more going on around her. I’m quite sorry for her. It’s hard to keep it all this young,” Vondroušová confirmed.

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