United States
United Kingdom
Eddie Jones, head coach for England’s Rugby Union team wanted to warn his young and talented player Marcus Smith from getting distracted by temptations and obligations outside the game. He decided to use young Emma Raducanu as an example to get his point across and it did not go down well with the media.
Emma Raducanu made a name for herself during the 2021 U.S Open in Flushing Meadows when she went on to win her first Grand Slam at the young age of 18. Big things were expected from the young Brit since her U.S Open win but she hasn’t had a great run in the last couple of months.
Jones believes that one of the main reasons she has underperformed is because she is distracted by things outside the game. He went on record to say
What have you seen her on – the front page of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar or whatever it is, wearing Christian Dior clothes. All that is a distraction around her.
What Jones did not know was that Raducanu’s photo shoot for Vogue took place after she had a good run at Wimbledon and before the 2021 U.S Open. She also just broke into the top 20 rankings and is doing pretty well for herself as an 18 year old.
Gabby Logan, who presents for the BBC said Jones’s remarks was terribly unfair and had no comparison with the point he was trying to make.
Unbelievably unfair and not even remotely comparable. She is 18 in her first 6 months of being pro she made the second week of Wimbledon and won US Open having never played on the tour.
Imagine an 18 year old rugby player winning a World Cup having never played a club game.— Gabby Logan (@GabbyLogan) November 8, 2021
Former top British tennis pro Jo Durie also came to the defence of Raducanu and said no one takes a jab at young male superstars for going to Gala’s and photo shoots.
Raducanu Displays Maturity
Raducanu displayed a lot of maturity in facing the media and addressing how she handles the sudden limelight and pressure of being famous. The 18 year old said that she does not pay any attention to what is written or said about her in the media. She is training herself to not listen to the opinions of those outside her circle.
Raducanu clarified that she had spoken to her team and made it clear to them that she would not compromise her training and miss any session, just because she had an off-court commitment. She said she was very clear what her priorities were going forward and compromising her tennis for off-court activities was non-negotiable.
