Emma Raducanu's attendance at the glitzy opening of a luxurious hotel in Dubai, just 48 hours from taking to the court of the Qatar Open, might have impacted her performance on Monday.
The British tennis sensation was knocked out of the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season in Doha by Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina. She lost the first 6-0 in less than half an hour, and despite showing an encouraging level in the second set, she lost in straight sets.
It is the fourth defeat in seven matches and one that appears to have stung so badly that Raducanu is already planning a return flight to the United Kingdom. The 21-year-old also revealed in the aftermath of that defeat that she is considering a schedule change.
It is unclear what she meant by that statement, and several tennis fans sounded a word of advice for the Briton to try and drop down to the lower tiers to build serious momentum and confidence.
While Raducanu blamed her own game for her downfall in Doha, one thing she did not mention was her poor preparation for the tournament. Last week, she competed at the Abu Dhabi Open as a wild card but lost in the second round to Ons Jabeur.
Raducanu chose to stay in the UAE for an additional four days instead of heading to Qatar. The former US Open winner then made the short trip to Dubai, where she was pictured alongside compatriot and supermodel Naomi Campbell during the grand opening of the One&Only One Za’abeel hotel on Saturday.
She did practice during her stay in Dubai, but considering the inconsistency in court conditions with those in Doha, it was far from an ideal buildup for the 21-year-old. And that proved to be the case, with Raducanu partly attributing the light conditions and shadows as limiting factors.
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