O/T:- Come on Emma!

[Old_pie]

So where did it all go wrong? A potential world number one now struggles to make the third round at any major tournament. Was she a one-hit wonder who won a very weak tournament last year, or has she lost her focus?

She's still young enough to get back on track, but for me it would be a pleasant surprise if she did.

This has been coming for a while. She's clearly talented and had a fortunate run when she won the US Open (didn't that happen to one of our local football teams - twice?).

Apart probably from the burden of expectation, and ranking, that win has put on her as I see it she is just not tough. Injury prone and to be at the stage she now is to regularly have blisters on her hands has to be a concern. Add to that her inability to stick to one coach (and inconsistent coaching may have a part to play in the above issues), and we might just be seeing another Tracy Austin.

[Magpies1959]

I thought the most amazing thing about the final was, considering how hard both girls were hitting the ball, there were very few shots that ended in the net. I think these two could be giving us great tennis matches for years to come, hopefully Emma will be on the right side of the result in the majority of them.

[jackal2]

Good summary, and where she goes from here will be very interesting to watch. She has the world at her feet, but the problem could be that it's not only in a tennis sense. I really hope her future isn't sidetracked by commercial interests, because she can earn more than enough by concentrating on her real career. I think the women's game is at the changeover stage, and she seems to possess every quality required to be at the forefront of the next generation.

Yes the commercial temptation is huge, and she's very marketable. You only have to look at what happened to someone like Anna Kournikova or Genie Bouchard to realise how quickly a player's career can go off track if they get beguiled by advertising, modelling, social media and the like. I suspect however that Bouchard's ego was far more susceptible to the trappings of fame, and maybe Kournikova's too.

That said, Bouchard and Kournikova have probably made far more money out of marketing themselves than what they could have won in prize money if they had fulfilled their supposed potential. There's an argument to say that if the money is there to be made, you take it while you can, because one injury could end a sporting career at any time. Did they 'fail', or just succeed in a different game?

When push comes to shove, what will matter more to Emma Raducanu? Making hay (money) while the sun shines or focusing entirely on her sport in the hope of playing for many years and building an outstanding legacy? I'd like the answer to be the second option, but you can't blame people for taking the first.

[laddo]

I have the ability to ask her that question but understandably won't.

However I'm reliably informed that she is all about the tennis, she's too young to know much else and hasn't had the fame and fortune during her tennis career prior to this year's Wimbledon.

Her agents and representatives on the other hand may view it very differently as she will be in huge demand from now on and seek to cash in when she is red hot.

Only time will tell, and it will be enjoyable to watch what happens in the upcoming years. Whatever happens she's a history maker.

[jackal2]

I have the ability to ask her that question but understandably won't.

However I'm reliably informed that she is all about the tennis, she's too young to know much else and hasn't had the fame and fortune during her tennis career prior to this year's Wimbledon.

Her agents and representatives on the other hand may view it very differently as she will be in huge demand from now on and seek to cash in when she is red hot.

Only time will tell, and it will be enjoyable to watch what happens in the upcoming years. Whatever happens she's a history maker.

I'm curious now as to how you have the ability to ask her? If you don't want to explain that's fine, or if I've missed an earlier explanation I apologise.

Yes, agents and representatives play a big part, although you would hope that the team who successfully got her this far will be equally well equipped to help continue her development. Ultimately I hope they support her whichever direction she chooses to take, whether that's exploiting the commercial opportunities while they are there, or ignoring all distractions to focus on her game.

I think in order to win a major sporting prize at that level you have to be all about your sport until the first time you win. It's what happens to your motivation when you achieve it that can vary from person to person. Look at Tyson Fury for example, who was totally focused on dethroning Wladimir Klitschko and achieved his goal, but mentally disintegrated immediately afterwards, only to re-discover his fire to win the world title again.

[keldsyke]

I’m surprised Johanna Konta’s past hasn’t been dragged up yet not that it matters.

As I’ve said earlier there’s none as intolerant than those who preach and shout intolerance as this thread has proved.

[jackal2]

Hmm. You supported the anti immigrant Brexit, and the anti immigrant Conservative party, and the anti immigrant Trump.

Apparently you don’t understand the difference between controlling immigration to a greater or lesser degree (which are both pro-immigration policies) and stopping it, which is obviously ‘anti-immigration’. Except of course you do, but it suits you to over-simplify.

Do you not think it’s reasonable to take your support for an immigrant tennis player with a largish pinch of salt?

No I don’t, but since when were you reasonable? My support for Emma Raducanu, as a British tennis player, is genuine. I hope this would be obvious to most posters reading back through my earlier posts from the night of the final, before you belatedly arrived the next day, well after the event, with your bigoted agenda.

Do you not find Farage’s tweets frankly embarrassing?

No. I didn’t write them for him so why would I be embarrassed? I’m not even on Twitter!

Have you worked out yet what makes an immigrant ‘illegal’?

I almost forgot your attempt to obfuscate by seeking to drag the issue off into the vaguery of international law, which rarely gives clear guidance on anything and for that reason is pretty much followed or disregarded by countries/governments of all political persuasions as and when it suits them.

Far more relevant is UK law. I believe UK immigration rules/laws should be enforced and adhered to. Those laws may be loosened or tightened by whichever Government is in power at a given time, and that’s decided democratically by UK voters, including those who have previously arrived and settled in the country by virtue of those laws. They might elect a party which advocates tighter immigration controls or weaker immigration controls, but none of the main parties likely to win an election in this country are ‘anti-immigration’.

Emma Raducanu was born in 2002 and reportedly arrived in this country when she was two years old (i.e. circa 2004), so that would be when the Blair Government was determining the rules of immigration. Wikipedia tells me that both of her parents worked in the finance sector and I’ve not seen anything to suggest that they didn’t immigrate according to the law at that time. Emma was raised, educated and trained in Britain and as such, she is a British tennis player we are all entitled to support. Even those of us who have the temerity not to vote the way BFP would wish.

[Riverleeno]

*an interesting post.

[sidders]

So ... is she 'Our Emma' and does it matter anyway? What a mish-mash - born in Canada of Chinese and Romanian parentage.
In my book, that makes this talented lady a shining example of multiculture, a concept that has been roundly condemned on this site for many years.
All that matters is that she is a wonderful un spoiled talent and long may she stay that way, although I see a number of obstacles awaiting her.
'Nationalism is the last refuge of a scoundrel' (Ben Johnson?)
Thank goodness they didn't play the national anthem on the night.

[Jeekay56]

So ... is she 'Our Emma' and does it matter anyway? What a mish-mash - born in Canada of Chinese and Romanian parentage.
In my book, that makes this talented lady a shining example of multiculture, a concept that has been roundly condemned on this site for many years.
All that matters is that she is a wonderful un spoiled talent and long may she stay that way, although I see a number of obstacles awaiting her.
'Nationalism is the last refuge of a scoundrel' (Ben Johnson?)
Thank goodness they didn't play the national anthem on the night.

Ben Johnson, the Jamaican/Canadian Olympic cheat?