Over the weekend, it emerged that Emma Raducanu has had her Porsche car taken away amid her stuttering form over the past few years.
The 21-year-old soared into the spotlight when she defied the odds to win the US Open in 2021, with Leylah Fernandez beaten in the final on that occasion.
In the three years since, however, Raducanu has been unable to scale those dizzying heights.
As a result, Porsche have now taken action. The car manufacturers aligned with the tennis sensation back in 2022 but, now, have taken her vehicle away.
Emma Raducanu has had her Porsche taken away following her troubles in tennis over the past few years
REUTERS
For their part, they insist they are happy with Raducanu and their working relationship.
Yet Porsche have opted to take her car away due to the tennis star’s inability to kick on over the past couple of years. It is effectively a punishment, make no mistake about it.
Injuries have, of course, played a part. That can’t be understated.
But Raducanu’s own decision-making has raised eyebrows, too. After all, playing just one hard-court tournament before the US Open was baffling. It was no surprise to see her beaten by Sofia Kenin, even if the youngster performed well enough.
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Raducanu is a sponsor’s dream. Or at least, she once was.
For while she struggles to compete at the very top of the tennis world, there’s a chance that more of her brand deals could be renegotiated – or axed completely.
In addition to Porsche, Raducanu has sponsorship arrangements with the likes of British Airways, Vodafone, Tiffany, Dior, Evian, Wilson, Nike and HSBC.
They are, for the time being, happy to promote the tennis star. The feeling is mutual, too.
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But with Raducanu’s stock falling, it’s feasible that more big brands will choose to look into things.
Take Nike, for example. They have long prized themselves on promoting household names and proven talents, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods all sporting their gear over the years.
Would they really be happy to still have Raducanu when she’s a shadow of the player she once was? Probably not.
It was reported by the Telegraph earlier this year that many big brands were unhappy with her performance levels.
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Emma Raducanu started working with Porsche back in 2022
PORSCHE
And whether she’s able to summon the magic of old to ensure she stays in their good books remains to be seen.
Speaking after her US Open defeat in August, Raducanu fronted up.
She vowed to learn from her experience in New York, while also insisting she’s ready to knuckle down and work hard in order to prove her doubters wrong.
“I’m just going to go back to the drawing board and train and analyse where I went wrong and try to improve for the rest of the season,” she said.
Emma Raducanu has struggled ever since her stunning US Open win back in 2021
REUTERS
“Obviously, the slams are over for this year, but it’s not actually that long until Australia comes around again.”
“I would have preferred to probably play a little bit more … I think I can learn from it and manage my schedule slightly differently.”