Emma Raducanu reached unbelievable success in only her second Grand Slam tournament in New York. She became the first player to lift a major title coming from the qualifying stages. Following her staggering achievement, she broke several records. However, after competing at the Flushing Meadows, her performance levels haven’t been on the same level.

To this, England’s rugby coach, Eddie Jones, claimed her losses were due to ‘distractions’. Just recently, at the Linz Open, Raducanu was knocked out in the opening round itself. Following his unfriendly comments, Raducanu strongly responded to the head coach.

Eddie Jones slams Emma Raducanu

After reaching the quarterfinals of the Transylvania Open, Emma Raducanu entered the Linz Open. However, she fell short in the opening round against Wang Xinyu of China. Xinyu dominated in the pivotal moments and won the match in a three-set thriller. Following Raducanu’s string of early exits, Eddie Jones, former Australian rugby player and current head coach of England’s team, criticized Emma.

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He claimed these defeats were down to ‘distractions’. Eddie Jones stated, “The big thing for good young players is distractions, the distractions could be the exposure they get in the media, the praise they get, the criticism they get.”

Furthermore, the head coach added, “What have you seen her on – the front page of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar or whatever it is, wearing Christian Dior clothes. All that is a distraction around her.”

However, many tennis personalities criticized Jones for his comments, claiming he was adding undue pressure on the young star.

Raducanu responds strongly to England rugby head coach

When Raducanu became familiar with Jones’ comments, she struck back at the head coach. Raducanu said, “I think that many people are going to have opinions of me and what I’m doing.”

The World N0. 20 clarified her goal by saying, “I just know I’m staying focused with a small circle around me. I have my parents, who would 100 percent let me know if I was getting swayed. I am very zoned in.”

The British No. 1 has clearly stated her stance on dealing with negative criticism, which is crucial as she rose to unprecedented success without virtually any tour-level experience. Hopefully, the young star can emulate her US Open form in the 2022 season.

ALSO READ: “One of the Greatest Dangers”: Former World No. 1 Warns Emma Raducanu Series of Disappointment