"Such a princess", "5 matches in 6 years and she's tired?" - Fans question Emma Raducanu blaming exhaustion for Madrid Open 1R loss

Tennis fans have criticized Emma Raducanu for attributing her first-round defeat at the 2024 Madrid Open to exhaustion.

Raducanu entered the WTA 1000 Madrid tournament fresh off a quarterfinals run at the recently concluded Stuttgart Open. She was originally slated to face Karolina Pliskova in the first round. However, the Brit's opponent changed when Pliskova withdrew due to an ankle injury.

Raducanu then went up against Argentinian qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle in the tournament opener. Carle caused an upset when she defeated the Brit 6-2, 6-2 in just one hour and 26 minutes to secure her first WTA 1000-level victory and advance to the second round.

During the post-match press conference after the defeat, Emma Raducanu attributed her defeat to physical and mental exhaustion, describing tennis as a demanding and a "pretty brutal" sport.

"I think from the performance today it was very clear that mentally and emotionally I was exhausted. I was trying to push through. I was pushing through Stuttgart and was just unable to push through today. So yeah, it’s a shame that I was feeling so good on the court and today happened, but I guess this sport is just pretty brutal," Raducanu said, as per The Guardian.

However, tennis fans were not convinced by her explanation. They took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the former World No. 10's reasoning. One fan criticized Raducanu for blaming fatigue despite not having played extensively this season, labeling her behavior as "princess"-like.

"I complain to my boss that I am having burnout symptoms, he's gonna talk to me as if I am gonna get fired soon. Shes such a princess," a fan posted.

"Gurl played 5 proper matches in last 6 years and she is tired? Go pose for magazine," another fan posted.

Others speculated that Raducanu's fatigue excuse was merely a tactic to avoid competing in the upcoming Italian Open.

"To me, this thing about ‘tiredness’ seems to be an alibi to get out of the Italian Open. All the wild cards have been allocated now, so she’ll have to go through qualies. That’s beneath her so she won’t go. She could play a 125 but that’s beneath her, too," a fan wrote.

Many fans suggested that the key to improving Emma Raducanu's fitness and endurance was to participate in more matches.

"She’s played 5 matches in 2 weeks, both her wins in Stuttgart being under 90 minutes… Obviously she’s never really got used to the rigours of tour life until now, but is going to 'recharge' actually help rn? I don’t see how she builds up fitness unless she plays," a fan posted.

"She needs [to] play more, like. This is the only way she can acc grow as a tennis player," a fan posted.

"Obviously talented enough to be a top player, but too emotionally and physically fragile. Photo shoots are much easier. And the pay is better!" a fan wrote.

Another fan expressed that they could not comprehend how the Brit was exhausted just after playing some first- and second-round matches.

"Imagine 'recharging' from losing R1, R2 ever week??" the fan posted.

---

Emma Raducanu expected to compete at Italian Open & Roland Garros after Madrid Open loss

Emma Raducanu

Following her first-round exit at the 2024 Madrid Open, Emma Raducanu is expected to compete in the upcoming Italian Open and French Open.

The 2024 Italian Open will begin on May 7. Raducanu has not received a wildcard entry to the tournament, but her protected ranking will allow her to entry to the qualifiers.

Last year, the Brit was unable to compete in Rome due to surgeries on her wrist and ankle. In 2022, she had to withdraw from her first-round match against Bianca Andreescu due to a lower back injury.

Emma Raducanu is then likely to take part in the 2024 French Open at Roland Garros, starting on May 20. She missed the Grand Slam event last year while recovering from surgeries on her wrists and ankle.

During the 2022 French Open, Raducanu secured a victory against Linda Noskova in the first round but was defeated by Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round.