Emma Raducanu accused of 'giving up' by Team GB captain in scathing assessment
Emma Raducanu lost in straight sets in the first round of the Madrid Open.
Emma Raducanu was accused of 'emotionally checking out' by her Billie Jean Cup captain Anne Keothavong after crashing out of the Madrid Open in the first round. Raducanu was beaten by qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle in her worst display of the clay-court season, making 34 unforced errors during the match.
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The result brought an abrupt end to Raducanu's promising run of form after two wins at the Billie Jean Cup and two more at the Stuttgart Open. Reflecting on her performance after the match, she blamed her lacklustre display on tiredness as a result of playing in various tournaments over the last few weeks.
"Starting from the Billie Jean King Cup, I haven’t stopped," said Raducanu. "I was very happy being able to help carry the team in the BJK Cup and then straight to Stuttgart with no rest and then straight here and trying to adapt to the conditions.
"They are very different because it’s outdoors and I was playing indoors for the last month. Many factors made it very difficult to fully compete. I’m going to take a few days off and rest a little bit because I’ve been going non-stop for the last month. From the performance it was very clear that mentally and emotionally I was exhausted."
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Raducanu's explanation was quickly shot down by Keothavong, who suggested that she should not have played in Madrid if she knew she was not going to be at her best.
"She’s made a meal of this match," said Keothavong on Sky Sports. "She touched on the fact that 'yes, I’m tired' but do you talk yourself into more tiredness? On the one hand it’s good to acknowledge it but if you are going to go out on the match court you’ve got to be prepared to leave it all out there.
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"That willingness just didn’t seem evident. Should she have taken the wildcard? Maybe in hindsight it would have been better to take this week off and go to play qualifying in Rome. Those last few points, that’s just not good enough. That’s poor. You can’t emotionally check out."
Raducanu is set to return to London before deciding her next move as she continues to prepare for the upcoming French Open. She is not guaranteed a place at Roland Garros but is the fifth alternate, meaning she will have a decent chance of being in the main draw if enough players pull out.
