Emma Raducanu cruelly targetted by internet trolls as injury curse strikes again
Yesterday at 01:54 PM
Emma Raducanu came under fire from cruel internet trolls as her injury curse struck again in Korea.
The 21-year-old Briton had just lost the first set 6-1 when she withdrew having struggled with a foot issue.
Raducanu had previously beaten two top-50 players in Seoul en route to the last eight, in American Peyton Stearns and China's Yue Yuan.
Looking to make just her second-ever WTA Tour semi-final, having also reached the last four in Nottingham in June, the 2021 US Open champion initially saw her match against world No 13 Kasatkina rained off on Friday.
When the contest then did get underway on Saturday, Raducanu – who spoke earlier this week of wanting to play as many matches as possible before the end of the season – was broken by her Russian opponent in the second game.
She immediately broke back but was unable to build on that and, after Kasatkina had wrapped up the set, Raducanu went over and shook her hand having decided due to the foot problem that she would not continue.
Raducanu flashed her trademark smile as she conceded the match to Kasatkina, sparking a negative reaction from some detractors on X, formerly Twitter.
One cynic suggested she ‘didn’t even try to look disappointed’ as she walked off court injured once again, with the tone of messages on the social media platform generally negative towards the young Brit.
Emma Raducanu’s Korea Open campaign came to an end at the quarter-final stage.
Kasatkina had a different view, as she expressed her sympathy for Raducanu.
"I feel sorry for Emma for retiring during the match," said Kasatkina. "It's a pity to get the injury, especially in the deeper stages of the tournament.
“I wish her a speedy recovery and to get ready for the next tournament. I know that this Asian swing is important for her."
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There will now be big doubts over what comes next for Raducanu, as she was hoping to play in next week’s China Open and then at the Wuham Open next month.
"I think the rest of the year, as long as I'm healthy, I'm going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can," said Raducanu earlier this week.
"It's something I'm really light on since the grass through the (Washington) DC period. I've not played many points, even in practice.
"For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can."
Raducanu has also been selected to play for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga in November and it seems she may need to play through the pain barrier if she is going to get all she hopes for out of the rest of 2024.
Raducanu is closing in on a return to the top 50 of the WTA Rankings, but her decision to play in just two events during the US hard court season meant she missed out on a chance to get more ranking points and build up some strength in her body for the challenges she will face on the WTA Tour.
Now, after just three matches in Korea, she is carrying an injury concern again, with her hopes for the rest of this year hanging in the balance.
The post Emma Raducanu cruelly targetted by internet trolls as injury curse strikes again appeared first on Tennis365.
