Seoul
Flailing Raducanu loses her luxury ride
The downward spiral of Emma Raducanu has intensified, with sponsor Porsche reportedly taking back the luxury ride given to the 2021 US Open winner whose career has dropped like a stone since her improbable title.
The 21-year-old who claimed the New York trophy three years ago from an unheard-of qualifying start, has never really figured again at the business end of a tournament.
And it looks like the current No. 54 who briefly touched 10th in the world could be in for more disappointment if she cannot begin picking up her sinking game.
British media reported that Porsche has reclaimed the 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet they gave her at the start of what had looked like a lucrative career.
The car firm said it loaned cars to sponsorship ambassadors “on occasion.” Prices for the machine begin at around USD 175,000 and quickly rise.
Raducanu, who has not been beyond the second round of a Grand Slam – save twice at Wimbledon – since her only major title, will no longer be tootling around her hometown of Bromley in the southern London suburbs in the flashy German machine.
In the immediate wake of her Open title, the teenaged Raducanu – whose half-Chinese heritage makes her a hit for Asian consumers – was also signed by high-profile names including British Airways, Vodafone, Tiffany, Dior, Evian, Wilson, Nike and HSBC.
But local media report that some of those contracts might be under threat.
London’s Daily Express noted that Raducanu’s family company reported just under GBP 10 million in 2023 income despite the player’s tennis income totalling around GBP 200,000.
Raducanu has been a ghost on the WTA this season, skipping the clay events to concentrate on grass and then falling victim to more poor form and injuries.
She is currently out of action after a September foot injury in Korea and could well be done for another season.
The Emma Raducanu gold dust seems to be nowhere to be found, with the Briton who won the 2021 US Open from a qualifying start to burst into tennis notoriety seemingly a spent commercial force.
In the nearly four years since her unlikely New York triumph, the suburban Londoner has managed a mere two semi-finals – In Seoul, 2022 and last summer on grass in Nottingham.
With a 47th ranking, the former teenaged tennis princess is being left behind, not helped by a revolving door of coaches, reportedly choreographed by her Romanian-born father.
British tabloid media have been keeping score on the vast Raducanu sponsorship portfolio – and are issuing warnings of trouble.
Her first big financial hit may have arrived, with London’s Mail reporting that she and Vodafone have parted company, with her nearly USD 4 million contract now up in smoke.
Raducanu signed that deal in the heady days following her Grand Slam win. She was also snapped up by others including British Airways, Dior, Porsche – 2024 reports that the company took back her complimentary sports coupe have yet to be verified.
But she tellingly withdrew from this week’s massive Porsche WTA event in its home city of Stuttgart, Raducanu’s remaining sponsors rs include Tiffany & Co, Evian and HSBC along with kit sponsor Nike and racquets by Wilson.
Main photo:- Emma Raducanu with her sponsored Porsche coupe in 2024 – © Porsche
Luckless Brit Emma Raducanu withdrew on Tuesday from the WTA Auckland event as her near-endless run of injuries continued with a “back niggle”
The former US Open champion whose career since the big day in New York three years ago has been one mishap after another, made the call.
Raducanu had only recently hired a former physical trainer of Maria Sharapova in hopes of banishing the complaints that have left her once promising career in tatters.
She won three matches at November’s BJK Cup but her last appearance on the Tour came in September when she retired hurt in Seoul.
The Raducanu team are now scheduled to fly to Melbourne in hopes of preparing for the January 12 start of the Australian Open.
“I tried my best to be ready. I love Auckland and the fans here but unfortunately picked up a back niggle and won’t be ready in time,” she said in a statement.
She would have played as a seed for the first time since 2022 had she competed in Auckland.
Emma Raducanu has quit before another tournament as injuries continue to stalk the fading British No. 54.
The 2021 US Open winner whose career has nosedived since that career-defining accomplishment has pulled out of next week’s Wuhan Open.
The Raducanu camp cited the foot injury she suffered last month in Seoul which resulted in a quarter-final mid-match withdrawal.
She then skipped the ongoing WTA 1000 in Beijing.
The rest of the season for the Chinese-Romanian 21-year-old now looks hazy.
Raducanu is entered in the Ningbo Open (October 14-20), Guangzhou Open (October 21-27) and the Hong Kong Open (October 28-November 3).
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