Emma Raducanu has been warned that women’s tennis stars often experience only two or three years at the top of the sport. The British star has been desperately trying to reach the same heights that saw her win the US Open in 2021.
Injuries and inconsistency have hindered Raducanu’s form ever since that remarkable triumph when she was only 18. She reached the third round at the Australian Open but was thumped 6-1 6-0 by Iga Swiatek.
Despite languishing in 61st in the WTA rankings, Raducanu has been told she is still marketable. But if she does return to the top of the sport and win further Grand Slams, that success may only last a couple of years.
“Emma Raducanu is marketable but the level of that will come down to sporting performance, whether that will be in the top echelons of the sport remains to be seen,” sport finance expert Dr. Rob Wilson told Genting Casino.
“She certainly has the raw talent, but what we also see in female tennis as compared to male tennis is that you don’t get the same longevity as when you look at Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic – with the exception of Steffi Graf, Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova.
“You tend to find that female athletes come and go with tennis, so they’ll have two or three years at the top and then that can change.
“I’ll be interested to see if we’re still talking about Emma Raducanu in seven or eight years’ time as an elite tennis player [who is] qualifying routinely for ATP and Grand Slams, even if she doesn’t win them.”
Raducanu has been snapped up by plenty of sponsors over the years. However, there were rumours that she had been dropped by Porsche last year after a car was reportedly removed from her possession.
Porsche insists Raducanu remains on their roster and the 22-year-old has since been seen in a new vehicle handed to her by the manufacturer.
Her form raised fears that sponsors may drop the star from their clientele. However, Wilson believes Raducanu remains a sponsor’s dream.
He added: “Emma Raducanu will keep hold of sponsors at the moment because she is very marketable and speaks very well, she’s a sponsor’s dream. They can activate that even when she’s not winning tournaments because she is very recognisable and has the right personality.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk