Emma Raducanu's two-word post on social media gets attention of Paula Badosa

Emma Raducanu seems much older than her 21 years might imply. She surprisingly won the US Open in 2021 and then didn't do much of anything for a couple of years. Injuries were mostly her issue, and one might argue the form she had during her run at the US Open was likely better than she truly was. Any player can hit a hot streak and Raducanu hit hers at the perfect time.

It is telling about her Grand Slam victory that her first win against a top-10 player did not come in New York but last week at the Rothesay International. Does this imply she won her major because she had an easy path to the final? Possibly, but any other player would have had the same argument and Raducanu took advantage.

In Eastbourne, the Brit defeated WTA No. 5 Jessica Pegula in three sets. Pegula wasn't in peak form earlier in 2024 but did win the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin the week before Eastbourne. This means that Pegula had an uptick in quality and Raducanu was still able to overcome the American. If the Brit needed a confidence builder heading into Wimbledon, the Pegula match was it.

Emma Raducanu's social media post gets some attention

Emma Raducanu is a star on social media. She has 2.4 million followers on Instagram, for instance. After defeating Pegula, Raducanu took to IG to post a simple two-word assessment of her victory and herself. She wrote, "Black canvas." This was meant to imply that she wasn't happy with just a single win over a top-10 opponent but that she was still rebuilding her form and had a long way to go before reaching high-level success again.

Other WTA players took notice but not in a negative way. Clearly, Raducanu is well-liked by many of her fellow players. The response was mostly positive.

Fellow Brit Katie Boulter responded by saying, "Queeeeeen." Perhaps the most succinct and true reply was from Paula Badosa, though. The Spaniard wrote succinctly, "Emmita emmita."

Badosa and Raducanu have quite a bit in common. Both are capable of true greatness, but both have been diminished players because of various injuries. Raducanu and Badosa have both had their will to win questioned by internet trolls as well.

Raducanu didn't win the Rothesay International as she bowed out in the quarterfinal. Still, ahead of Wimbledon, she at least feels like she has the chance to make some noise. It is better for tennis if she does.

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