Emma Raducanu is a curious case.
Widely considered a national treasure just three years ago, her US Open exit in the early hours of Wednesday morning has now left the 21-year-old with egg on her face.
When she defied the odds to win the same competition three years ago, it was meant to be the start of something special. British tennis had a new poster girl – and she was expected to dominate for the foreseeable future.
Fast-forward to now, however, and that hasn’t happened.
Emma Raducanu has been left with egg on her face after losing at the US Open
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Raducanu has admitted she was ‘outplayed’ as she lost to Sofia Kenin in the early hours of Wednesday morning, seeing her hopes of Grand Slam glory go up in smoke in the process.
The 21-year-old cut a dejected figure in her post-match press conference, sobbing as she digested one of the biggest setbacks of her career.
Raducanu had, after all, decided to roll the dice prior to playing at Flushing Meadows. The Briton played on just one hard-court tournament before giving the US Open a go, a decision that raised eyebrows among fans and pundits alike.
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But that decision backfired spectacularly as Kenin inflicted an agonising, painful defeat to dash her hopes of a second career major.
Raducanu’s decisions often split opinion. She has previously admitted she’s stubborn and somebody who isn’t afraid to take risks.
She was quick to insist that the call to play in just one hard-court tournament prior to the US Open was made as a ‘collective’.
READ MORE: Emma Raducanu sobs in press conference after losing US Open first round clash as curse continues
But that brings the question: who exactly is advising her on these calls?
Whoever it is, Raducanu wasn’t keen to point fingers. She has vowed to learn from her defeat and use it as fuel for the future.
“I would have preferred to probably play a little bit more before coming into the US Open,” she said.
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Emma Raducanu’s scheduling decision came back to bite her as she exited the US Open
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“I know when I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good, you feel like everything’s automatic.
“I can learn from it. And, you know, manage my schedule slightly differently.
“It wasn’t just me. It was more of like a collective call and that’s what happened, and I can’t really change it.”
Emma Raducanu was outplayed by Sofia Kenin in their US Open clash on Wednesday morning
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Raducanu was, however, keen to point out that the Australian Open in January will represent a chance for her to make amends.
“I’m just going to go back to the drawing board and train and analyse where I went wrong and try and improve for the rest of the season,” she added.
“Obviously, the Slams are over for this year, but it’s not actually that long until Australia comes around again.”