Emma Raducanu has caught a lot of criticism in the past two years, but her agent is quite adamant that she doesn't deserve it.
Great Britain is a great nation with a storied tennis history, but not many chapters have been written recently. Raducanu wrote one of the best ones when she won the US Open a few years ago, and it created a lot of problems for her.
At times, it became so much that she admitted to wishing she had never won the tournament. It's something she's walked back since then for obvious reasons, but it did create a lot of expectations out of her.
The notoriously ruthless British media ran almost daily pieces about Raducanu being the "next big thing." Inevitably, she was disappointed with her performances, and predictably, the media turned on her.
It's been almost a witch hunt at times, and it's far from deserving. Many warned that Raducanu would struggle after her triumph, but some didn't want to accept it. Talking about his client on Andy Roddick's podcast, noted agent Max Eisenbud said many interesting things.
"The girl did everything backward, she skipped every step. She won the US Open, she went to the next tournament, she didn't even know where the player's lounge was, she didn't know where the practice courts were. Being tough on her or critical on her like any other player. But she is still figuring it out. I just think that people should not be malicious."
Eisenbud made a fair point because Raducanu did skip every imaginable step by winning the US Open. She's only now getting to know how it is to be a pro, and obviously, she's going to struggle because that's normal. Eventually, she'll be fine because she showed her talent, but malicious criticism is not needed.
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