Emma Raducanu went viral on the internet after a clip of her engaging in a heated exchange with a tournament official surfaced. This was caused by the Brit complaining about the disturbance caused by a crying child during her Cincinnati Open match against Aryna Sabalenka on August 12.
The 2021 US Open champion split the first two sets against the Belarusian and trailed 3-4 in the third set when this incident started. Two hours and 29 minutes into the match, both players were tied 40-all in the eighth game, when Raducanu stalled her service motion to complain about a child whose crying was posing a hindrance to her.
In the 13-second clip, which has now garnered over 20 million views on X alone, the umpire shut down Raducanu by saying:
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"It's a child, do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?"
In the background, fans can be heard screaming 'yes' in unison to show their support for the Brit. See the video here:
Emma Raducanu laughed it off and eventually resumed the match. However, she was defeated 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(5) by Sabalenka, who booked a spot in the Round of 16.
Emma Raducanu channels positivity for 2025 US Open
Emma Raducanu has high hopes for her upcoming US Open campaign as she believes that she has evolved a lot more and prepared herself for a moment like this. Raducanu hasn't been able to win a single match at the New York Slam since her title win in 2021 at Flushing Meadows but expects a positive run at the tournament this year. She said (via the The Guardian):
“Since I won the tournament, it’s not been easy for me there. But this year I feel different, I’m a lot calmer behind the court. On the court, I take more confidence in the big moments. I’ve been playing those big points pretty well for the most part so I’m looking forward to having some time to practise, improve and then get ready to play there.”
Raducanu has also been joined by a new coach on her team, who started working with her officially in Cincinnati. Francisco Roig, who helped Rafael Nadal for almost two decades, will be coaching the Brit, and she would hope to make good use of his expertise in her game.
“I think I’ve been good at being creative, scrapping, playing the big points well, but I think the overall quality of my game needs to be better. And I see that when I play the really top players where I can’t run and scrap, wait on them to miss. I think that’s where I need to improve. And yeah, I’m hoping he can help me with that,” she told Guardian in an interview.
Alongside coaching duties, Roig has also been bestowed with driver duties for Emma Raducanu.
