Emma Raducanu has found herself in hot water again. The 2021 US Open winner started her Australian Open campaign on a high note after clearing her way to the second round. However, she seems to be struggling to keep herself focused. What happened, you ask? Well, it is the same old story – you might’ve guessed it already. Injury woes have resurfaced for the young Brit. In her encounter with American Amanda Anisimova on Thursday, the 22-year-old took a Medical Time-Out (MTO) just when she was down 0-3 in the second set after taking the first set 6-3. Eventually she won the match as well after resuming! And as is natural, it’s led fans on social media to go after her!

Raducanu committed back-to-back double faults while losing three straight games in the second set. It didn’t take her long to ask for help once she realized she wouldn’t have it easy due to persistent pain. Immediately, she asked for the MTO mid-match, and sought assistance from her trainer. Her physio was working with while also giving the Brit some painkillers.

After coming back to face Anisimova, Raducanu took hold of the battle once again. Eventually she ended up clinching the second set with a final scoreline of 6-3, 7-5. Mind you her American opponent was leading at one stage before Raducanu took the MTO. While she has now secured a place in the next stage, her victory over Anisimova has sparked a controversy on social media. And it will keep chasing her on way to the next match!

It appears tennis fans are clearly not in favor of Raducanu taking the Medical Time-Out. Was she wrong in taking a much-needed assistance if she was in pain? Let’s look at the reason why people are heavily upset over her. So what did they say?

Emma Raducanu’s Medical Time-Out attracts brutal reactions from fans

At the start of her Australian Open campaign, earlier this week, Emma Raducanu had lots of reasons to celebrate. Coming in after a injury-laden 2024 season, the first major down under was the biggest opportunity for her to prove she’s still got the fire! And she showed it, too, against Ekaterina Alexandrova on Tuesday in the first round. Despite facing a tough challenge in the first set, she won it in a tie-break. Same was the case with the second set as well, where she had to push herself again. She finally took the match with a scoreline of 7-6(4), 7-6(2).

Now she may have won the second round, braving the injury, but her win over Anisimova has led fans to come out with harsh takes. Some of them feature speculations too regarding the injury itself. One user couldn’t help but notice the match situation when she took the MTO because of the injury.

• #Raducanu with yet another Medical time out despite not appearing to have any issues with her movement or shots during the rallies. #Anisimova loses focus & gets broken right after the delay.

Another fan went a step further while urging for an investigation over the MTO!

• Raducanu should be investigated for cheating How did she get an injury, how does the physio determine she has an issue 🙄🙄

Now here comes another big detail. Raducanu and Anisimova are also mutual friends with World No.162 Priscilla Hon. Before the match, Raducanu even brought this bond in focus while referring to her American counterpart. “Usually when we’re hanging out, we’re not talking about tennis,” she said as reported by The iPaper on Wednesday. “I think it’s good to keep it that way. We’re going to be playing each other many more times in the future. This is the first time.” she added. Considering that they are friendly off court, one fan couldn’t help but wonder why the Brit went for a suspiciously-timed MTO!

• Hold up so Raducanu called MTO on her best friend? Savage lol

Meanwhile other tennis lovers simply called Raducanu out for her alleged MTO strategy against Anisimova. They believe she wanted to break the momentum of the American who was ahead of her at the start of the second set.

• Medical Time Out is literally Tactical Timeout as after Emma Raducanu who was 3-0 down in the second set, had a MTO because of her hip broke Anisimova’s serve and won her next game to reduce the deficit to 3-2.

With strong feelings, some others expressed that Raducanu should face a strict punishment for her antics!

• Might be an unpopular opinion, but midmatch MTO’s should result in the automatic forfeit of your next service game. As seen once again in this Anisimova/Raducanu match; the timeout has completely killed Anisimova’s momentum and that shouldn’t be without penalty.

One user is straight up asking for no option of MTO if a player loses consecutive games. They couldn’t understand why Raducanu was allowed to have a timeout when she was trailing in the contest.

• Three straight games for Raducanu after the MTO. Why is this allowed?

While fans are clearly raising questions over the Brit’s R2 victory, she will look to get back in shape and return on the court in the third round. And this time, she will have to play by the skin of her teeth, for her opponent is none other than former World No.1 Iga Swiatek. The Pole has also smoothly cruised into the third round after her 6-0, 6-2 win over Slovak Rebecca Sremkova on Thursday. Who do you think will emerge victorious between Raducanu and Swiatek on Friday? Let us know in the comments below.