Emma Raducanu has just finished another season on the WTA Tour, in which she played a total of 50 matches.
Raducanu has been inspired by Rafael Nadal, having been working hard alongside his former coach Francisco Roig.
But the pair’s working relationship has undoubtedly been interrupted by injuries for the former WTA number 10.
Raducanu has withdrawn from two exhibition matches this month with a foot injury, although she is expected to take on the United Cup in January.
Emma Raducanu sparks controversy with her comments on the tennis schedule
And Raducanu has now caused quite a stir among tennis fans amid her lack of action, having just argued that players complaining about the schedule is not a good look for the sport.
Among other comments, she said: “I don’t necessarily think the WTA calendar is something to complain about.”
It’s an opinion that has not gone down well with tennis fans, with one writing on X: “Sure she never plays a full calendar, she is always injured.”
A second commented: “It always makes me laugh when players who are clearly not playing a lot of matches in a year say that they ‘don’t want to change the schedule’ or that ‘we’re not tired’. Yeah maybe because you are not at the top of the game and don’t feel exhaustion because of too many matches.”
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Others agreed, saying: “Try to be a top player and then speak up,” and “She’s always injured so it doesn’t affect her at all.”
There was more agreement: “Emma is not in a position to lecture other players on a busy schedule when she’s a part-time player that won’t enter a tournament unless they’ve rolled out the wildcard red carpet for her.”
Another fan concurred: “Haha, she shouldn’t be the one speaking. This may be the first year where she played a somewhat full season (still only 50 matches), she still withdrew a couple of times, and is constantly complaining about health issues. Girl, you’ve been on tour since 2021 and you only have 231 matches.”
And another commented: “Emma you’re given wildcard entries into tournaments younger players could be competing for. You could be setting a better example for them by qualifying and earning your spot instead of always accepting and not having matches underneath you to only go out in the first round.”
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Raducanu certainly didn’t hold back on her thoughts about the schedule, saying: “I don’t necessarily think the WTA calendar is something to complain about. And we are making a great living as well.
“It’s not all glamorous. There are definitely times when it’s very difficult, and we are flagging mentally and physically.
“If we put up a front that isn’t complaining, I think that is a better example to the people watching, who we are trying to get into tennis, the younger people.
“If they see all the top players moaning about the calendar, I don’t think that’s necessarily inspiring to look up to.”
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Conversely, Iga Swiatek thinks the schedule is “crazy”, while Elena Rybakina wants change to the calendar sooner rather than later.
However, Raducanu is not alone in her point of view, with her fellow WTA ace Qinwen Zheng having no issues with the calendar.
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