Ariana Baio
Jun 29, 2022
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19-year-old tennis star Emma Raducanu was defeated by Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-3 in women's singles at Wimbledon on Wednesday, leading to bullying by online trolls.
Raducanu, ranked the No. 1 British women's player, captured the attention of tennis fans in 2021 when she entered Wimbledon on a wildcard entry before managing to make it to the fourth round.
The talented athlete scored her first Grand Slam last year becoming the first British woman to do so since 1977.
Having only been on one Women's Tennis Association tour, Raducanu has proven to be a force to be reckoned with.
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On Monday, Raducanu made her Centre Court debut by defeating Alison Van Uytvanck 6-4 6-4.
However the culmination of injuries this season combined with Raducanu's lack of experience on grass led to her defeat on Wednesday by French tennis player Garcia, 28.
Emma Raducanu, the 19-year-old British tennis player, was defeated on Wednesday leading to online backlash Getty Images
But some UK fans of Raducanu were quick to criticize her upon her defeat Wednesday.
One said: "most overrated EVER," while another added: "One shot wonder. Won't win anything ever again."
A third added: "I’m still perplexed has to how she won the open. Shown nothing even resembling a grand slam winner. Still young and must have something but miles away from where I thought she’d be."
Other people quick came to the defense of the 19-year-old who still has an entire career ahead of her, having only turned pro in 2018.
\u201cIf Emma Raducanu wins nothing else at all for the rest of her career, if she was to retire right now, she would still have achieved more than any other British singles player - apart from Andy Murray - in the last 45 years. She's 19. The very opposite of a failure.\u201d— Olly Allen (@Olly Allen) 1656523695
\u201cYou just know Emma Raducanu will get an absolute torrent of abuse on here now, to those people I ask why. She\u2019s 19, building experience against seasoned pros like every other young player. Winning a Slam was a sporting miracle, she\u2019s not even been on tour a year, let her be.\u201d— Alex Bullions (@Alex Bullions) 1656520481
\u201cSupport is great but can we just treat Emma Raducanu like any other young talent as she gains experience instead of loading all that pressure on her from the get-go? Let the girl play her game and improve in her own time \ud83c\udfbe She'll be at the top one day for sure \ud83d\udcab #Wimbledon\u201d— \u0280\u1d07\u0274 (@\u0280\u1d07\u0274) 1656518596
"Obviously it's tough to lose any match but I think that Caroline played a great match, she is a great player, and I struggle to find a way through her today, but it's ok," Raducanu said in a press conference.
When asked if she felt pressure to keep up her incredible streak, Raducanu reacted calmly, echoing much of what her supporters have told those criticzing her.
""I am 19 years old and, yes I have had attention but I'm a Slam champion so no one is going to take that away from me and if anything the pressure is on that who have not done that," Raducanu told reporters.
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