There is no shortage of drama in the US Open. Yesterday, another major incident occurred which became a talking point at the tournament. The 2022 Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina, withdrew from the tournament ahead of her second-round clash against Jessika Ponchet, citing a lower back injury. It has been a tough year for the player from Kazakhstan, and it got even tougher after her US Open exit. After she announced her withdrawal, a critic made a bizarre comparison of her with Emma Raducanu, which didn’t go down well with Rybakina’s fans.

The critic took to X to slam the former Wimbledon champion, saying, “Elena Rybakina’s tennis evolution is turning her into Emma Raducanu right before our eyes . . . The two ER’s trying to outdo each other in how to leave a Slam . . .”

Like Elena Rybakina, Raducanu is also a Grand Slam champion, having won the US Open title back in 2021. However, she couldn’t repeat the heroics this year, as the Briton bowed out of the tournament after a tough loss against Sofia Kenin. The fan, who criticized Rybakina, felt that her career had gone downhill after she won the Wimbledon title, the same way Raducanu struggled after her US Open victory in 2021. However, the critic’s comments invited strong wrath from the fans, who supported Rybakina.

Fans back Elena Rybakina after US Open withdrawal leads to major uproar

Interestingly, along with her Wimbledon title, Rybakina has also won other big titles like the Indian Wells Open and the Italian Open. Additionally, she hasn’t had lengthy periods on the sidelines like Raducanu has had due to injuries. Responding to the allegations of the critic, one Rybakina fan hit back, saying, “They are not even close. Rybakina has won big titles outside her Slam and was ranked in the top 3. She has being suffering from illness while Emma has behaved lazy and entitled like refusing to play qualies and even in her Slam she didnt beat a top 10 player.”

Similarly, another fan counted numerous reasons why the comparison between Elena Rybakina and Emma Raducanu was ridiculous. Although both have won a Grand Slam title apiece, Rybakina has had far more achievements than Briton. Highlighting Rybakina’s accomplishments, the fan mentioned, “Don’t be ridiculous, not even CLOSE. Rybakina was a steady name in the top 3 or 4 AFTER her slam. She has 8 titles, 5 of which were after her slam, and multiple big finals on top of that. She has numerous wins over the reigning #1 player. Their careers are nothing alike.”

While injuries have been a common feature of Raducanu’s career of late, Rybakina has had health troubles. The Kazakh star faced gastrointestinal problems in numerous tournaments due to which she was forced to leave many tournaments midway. As a result, one X user pointed out why the comparison was ‘rubbish’, and called out Raducanu for not trying hard, unlike Rybakina.

Subsequently, Elena Rybakina has carried her country’s hopes on her shoulders for quite some time now. She is the top-ranked player from Kazakhstan and one fan felt bad for the people of her country after a critic compared Rybakina to Raducanu.

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Despite Rybakina’s health issues of late, she is still ranked 4th in the world, while Raducanu lay outside the top 50 at the 72nd spot. With a massive difference between their rankings, another fan responded to the critic, pointing out why the two couldn’t be compared, saying, “Rybakina is still in the Top 5 even when all the health issues. Beats top players at important events too and won some big titles. It is not even comparable. Emma hasn’t won anything at all after USO.”

During Raducanu’s post-match press conference, she revealed that she doesn’t want to play in the qualifiers of the tournaments, which further agitated fans on the comparisons between the two stars. As far as Rybakina is concerned, she would look to ignore the outside noise and aim to make a strong comeback later this year. What do you think about the comparison between Rybakina and Raducanu? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.