The air crackles with anticipation in Paris. The City of Lights is gearing up for the grand spectacle – the Olympic Games. Athletes from every corner of the globe, fueled by years of relentless training and unwavering dreams, sharpen their skills for a shot at sporting immortality. Yet, amidst the usual pre-Olympic frenzy, an unexpected plot twist threatens to steal the spotlight. Rising British star, Emma Raducanu, has opted to forgo her chance to compete in the prestigious tennis tournament. This bombshell decision has left tennis fans bewildered and the media buzzing.

The Lawn Tennis Association conducted a press conference on Sunday to announce the names of the players, who would be representing Great Britain. However, what caught the eyes of the fans was the absence of Emma Raducanu’s name for the tournament. The Brit could have used her 2021 US Open victory to qualify for the Olympics. However, she didn’t and opted to decline the wildcard offer. This made Katie Boulter the only female player to represent the UK in Paris. Speaking about this, LTA head of women’s tennis Ian Bates highlighted Raducanu’s decision.

“We were notified on Thursday that Emma would be eligible for one of those places and I’ve had various conversations with Emma,” Ian remarked. However, he revealed that the 21-year-old denied the offer, probably due to transitioning challenges. “We saw how much it meant when she represented her team in April at the Billie Jean King Cup but also I think she feels it is not the right time for her.” On the other hand, her compatriot Andy Murray has accepted the offer to relive his past experiences at the Olympics.

Meanwhile, Raducanu’s decision has been met with widespread criticism. Several fans have taken to their social media platform to criticize the decision that Emma took. Some went on to call her decision, ‘foolish,’ for refusing to play at the grandest stage. As Emma’s decision continues to receive flak, will it impact the 21-year-old’s thought process?

‘Raducanu does everything for a cheque’: Emma Raducanu receives backlash from fans

Emma’s surprising decision has received widespread flak from her fans. Taking to the microblogging platform X, one user took a subtle jibe at the tennis star and called out her partnership with Dior. “Must be a Dior event going on during that time,” the user wrote. For the unversed, Emma joined the house of Dior as an ambassador in 2021 reportedly in a £2($2.53million) million partnership, shortly after her US Open victory.

Another user went to the extent of calling Raducanu a person who does everything for money. “More like she won’t be earning any money at the Olympics. People need to get their head around that Raducanu does everything for a cheque. All her decisions involve a cheque being written out to her.” Interestingly, Raducanu’s commercial activities have often received such flak. 

Ahead of the Qatar Open this year, Raducanu traveled to Doha via Dubai to attend the opening of the One&Only One Za’abeel hotel. While it is uncommon for players to attend any commercial event ahead of their matches, the Brit turned out to be an exception. When asked if she would cut back on off-court events, she told The Times: “Not at all actually.” Continuing further, she said, “It’s basically like training in Dubai and then having a nice dinner with a lot of people. The only difference is my dinners go public.” The series of criticism did not end here.

Highlighting the importance of such a grand event, another user wrote that it’s foolish to take such a call. “Foolish. If fit, just play for the pleasure of playing a unique event.” Emma had missed most of her season in 2023 following a wrist injury. She had a minor procedure done on both hands and an ankle surgery. In 2024 too, she sustained a lower back injury and missed important tournaments like the French Open. Hence, it is necessary to take into account the fitness angle as well, as highlighted by the user. 

Another user went on to question her advisors saying, “who tf is advising her 😭 maybe she knows better than TT ig.” “She [Raducanu] feels that this isn’t going to be the right timing for her for this summer,” said Olympic team leader Iain Bates, who has worked closely with Raducanu this year and was notified on 13 June that she would be offered a wildcard.  

Another user highlighted the proximity of the venue from her home country of the Olympics: “imagine skipping the olympics so close to home.” Paris is approx. 213 miles(343 km) away from London and skipping Olympic is indeed a bold call to take.

Amidst the criticism, Emma Raducanu seems to focus on her grass court season. She has played sensational tennis at the Nottingham Open and has progressed to the semifinals. It will be interesting to see if her decision to avoid the Olympics can help her focus more on Wimbledon and eventually, the US Open.