Emma Raducanu hits back at doubters by sharing private text message ahead of Stuttgart | Tennis | Sport
Emma Raducanu has hit back at doubters who have previously claimed she doesn’t spend enough time working on her tennis. The British No 1 has a series of luxury sponsors including Dior and Porsche, leading many to assume that Raducanu doesn’t dedicate herself to the sport. But she shared a private text message proving her commitment while waiting to learn her fate in the Stuttgart draw.
Raducanu is preparing to play the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for the second successive year to start her clay season. The 20-year-old has already been in Stuttgart for a few days and took the chance to prove her doubters wrong following a practice session with world No 4 Ons Jabeur.
The world No 68 took to Instagram to share a screenshot of a private text message with an unknown recipient. “Good morning. Did u just arise?” Raducanu says, receiving a response saying “yes” with a crying-laughing Emoji.
“Wow,” Raducanu said, before the recipient informed her that they “slept at 2.” And the former world No 10 proved her dedication as she timestamped the message from 10:11am and responded: “I practised [for] 2 hours already haha.”
It comes as something of a response to Raducanu’s critics, as the Brit has dealt with an onslaught of judgement ever since winning the 2021 US Open title as a qualifier. With the US Open serving as just her fourth-ever professional tournament, the 20-year-old was still new to the circuit and embarked on her first full year as a pro in 2022.
After a series of injury setbacks and early losses, her doubters often pinned her disappointing performances down to the lucrative brand deals she signed shortly after her unprecedented Grand Slam victory. But Raducanu has continued to prove her dedication on the practice court, doing so again with an insight into her early-morning session in Stuttgart.
