The early US Open winner Emma Raducanu caused amazement with a bizarre performance in the run-up to the WTA tournament in Madrid. The otherwise talkative and open Briton was extremely taciturn in an interview and made sure that the association ended the conversation early.
What’s going on with Emma Raducanu? In view of their recent series of defeats, many of their fans asked themselves this question again. After a memorable appearance at the traditional pre-tournament press briefing in Madrid, that question is more relevant than ever.
The 2021 US Open winner was asked a total of 16 questions, none of which were particularly critical. Raducanu answers these 16 questions in a whopping 58 words. Her most detailed response followed when asked what she could say about her three-set loss to Bianca Andreescu. The Brit said: “It was a good trip to America and a difficult match. But yes, let’s continue.”
After about three minutes, a representative of the WTA stepped in and ended the conversation with the words: “I think we should leave it at that.”
Raducanu’s behavior is extremely atypical for the young Briton, who is usually always polite and open-minded when dealing with media representatives. Even in difficult sporting times, she was willing to answer questions and spoke openly about criticism of her person.
What exactly led to their ‘muzzle’ in Madrid is not clear. The 20-year-old may feel additional pressure after three defeats in a row and falling to 85th place in the world rankings before the tournament in Spain’s capital.
Should Raducanu fail in the first round in the Spanish capital as well, she would lose her 110 points from the previous year and thus also slip out of the top 100. Four defeats in a row would also be tantamount to the worst run in her young career.
