A controversy about Emma Raducanu’s decision to forgo participating on a tennis court has been sparked by her relatively quiet social media presence in recent weeks.

American hard court tennis player Raducanu, the 2021 US Open winner, chased WTA ranking points at the WTA 500 tournament in Washington after deciding not to compete in the Olympics in Paris.

She qualified for the quarterfinals and had a promising start to her US hard court campaign before falling to Paula Badosa, so that choice paid off well.

What has the British player been up to advance of the US Open? Raducanu gave the impression that it was a wonderful platform to push for more, but he hasn’t been spotted on a tennis court since.

Our knowledge

Raducanu chose not to compete in Canada after her attempt to secure a wildcard into the main draw of the WTA 1000 event in Toronto last week. Initially, Raducanu was listed as an entrant in qualifying.

Raducanu skipped the French Open after not receiving a wildcard into the Grand Slam competition in Paris, therefore this was not the first time she had chosen not to participate in the qualifying round of the year.

Her rating does not allow her to enter the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati this week, but if her ranking did not get her into the draw, she would have had a strong case to qualify and could have asked for a wildcard.

In the Cincinnati qualifying round, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka participated, but Raducanu stood out for not being there.

It is concerning that she will be woefully underprepared for the tournament she won three years ago given her lack of activity, as she will only have played three matches on US hard courts prior to the US Open unless she participates in the WTA 250 event in Cleaveland next week.

Raducanu’s lack of comment

It’s becoming more and more likely that Raducanu will compete at the US Open next, but she hasn’t offered an update from her camp.

Her most recent Instagram post consisted entirely of pictures of her having a great summer, without any references to the US Open or pictures of her playing tennis.

After raising her ranking during the grass court season in Britain, Raducanu has qualified for the New York major; yet, if she is returning to the United States to play at Flushing Meadows, her lack of court time must be a problem.

Instagram post from Emma Raducanu recently

Due to Raducanu’s absence from Toronto and Cincinnati, there have been rumors on social media that he may be injured, but no information has been released to support those claims.

What former British No. 1 Tim Henman has to say

In an exclusive interview with Tennis365 during a Play Your Way To Wimbledon event, Henman stated, “We just have to show some patience with Raducanu now.”

Her difficulties have been widely reported ever since she won the US Open, but this year’s performance indicates that she is unquestionably headed in the right direction. Her future holds a lot of promise for great things, in my opinion.

The fact that she has competed in fewer tournaments and that her ranking and position in the WTA Race highlight her caliber.

“Let’s give her some time; she hasn’t played for the entire calendar year since recovering from her injury.

“She will be back in the largest and best events and seeded again in the Grand Slams soon, so she won’t have to worry about her schedule if she can play for a full year.

“The women’s game now has a great depth of play, but she had a real chance at Wimbledon as the draw opened up.”

Tim Henman addressed Tennis365 during a Matthew Dickens/Sportsbeat Play Your Way To Wimbledon event.

Raducanu faces a challenging future if she chooses to participate exclusively in events where she receives a wildcard. This decision will increase the burden on her to perform well in the few tournaments she will attend each year.

Her present rating of No. 71 will not allow her into the elite WTA Tour events, despite the 21-year-old’s comments that he won’t feel pushed to attend tournaments.

In June, Raducanu declared, “I will complete tasks on my own schedule.” “I am doing everything I am doing and playing for myself right now; I’m not in a rush to do anything.”

“I believe I’m just far more focused on my own lane and less sensitive to outside comments or viewpoints, whether that’s how much time I take off to practice compared to competing or how I schedule tournaments.

“I’m simply having fun, taking care of everything on my own, and being truly independent here.”

She might reenter the top 50 if she does well at the US Open, but an early exit in New York would force her to decide whether to compete in qualifying or the main events when the WTA Tour travels to Asia in September and October.

Raducanu will have a busy schedule for the remainder of 2024 if she chooses not to compete in qualifying for those events, which will add credence to the rumors that she might become pro.

Although Raducanu has only played 28 matches in 2024 thus far, the statistics show that a strong showing at the US Open will validate her decision to restrict her schedule.

Despite not entering any tournaments, she has done well enough to climb back into the top 100, but she needs to put in more work if she wants to be a contender for the major events in the game.

aims to become a contender for the game’s top events.