Emma Raducanu advised that 'wins equal dollar signs' by Rio 2016 Olympic champion Monica Puig
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Updated 07/02/2023 at 09:16 GMT
It has been a tough few years for Emma Raducanu after the Brit's stunning triumph at the 2021 US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier. But despite her injury struggles and inconsistent form on the WTA Tour, former Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig believes that "she still needs time to develop and time to find out who she is as a tennis player" and that she can find plenty of success again.
'A balance' - Henman highlights positive lessons Raducanu can learn from Australian Open loss
Britain's Emma Raducanu has been advised that "wins equal dollar signs and new contracts" by Rio 2016 Olympic champion Monica Puig as she discussed the balance between building a public profile and securing results on the court.
The 20-year-old famously triumphed at the 2021 US Open as a qualifier in spectacular fashion, but she has now dropped down to No. 80 in the WTA world rankings as a result of some inconsistent performances and injury struggles on tour. Most recently, she lost in straight sets to seventh seed Coco Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open.
Puig, who surprisingly grabbed the gold medal for Puerto Rico at the 2016 Olympic Games, said she "can sympathise with her" given how difficult she knows it can be to juggle finding instant fame and keeping focused on training and matches on what is a gruelling WTA Tour.
"Physically, she's still very young," Puig told Sky Sports. "I'm not going to say she's already a very established player with a lot of experience.
"She won that US Open title having not played many WTA events and she hasn't had a full calendar. She still needs time to develop and time to find out who she is as a tennis player, who she is as a person and I can sympathise with her.
"Don't focus on social media because we all know that social media is a great tool to boost your brand but it can be toxic, especially for a person like Raducanu who has so many people following her and so many people who want to see her succeed and also a lot of people who don't.
"You're not going to have everybody who loves you. You're going to have those who are not going to like you.
"She has a great future ahead of he r if she is able to settle herself but once she does and she organises herself in the way that works for her, she can end up making great strides and doing some really great things. Now it's just about that consistency day in, day out and believing that she can do it again."
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'Coco's progress has been excellent' - McEnroe on Gauff and Raducanu
On the struggles many players face in being a very public figure on social media, Puig believes it is all about finding the right balance in terms of developing the right profile but also ensuring it is not a big distraction.
"I'm not saying she needs to leave social media alone altogether because part of being a tennis player is having to deal with all these endorsements that have come her way and she deserves that because she won a Grand Slam title.
"Those endorsement deals come with obligations and if you don't meet those obligations the brand is not getting what they need out of you. The brand does need you to perform on court so you're exposed, you're out there, you're promoting their things.
"You can make more money off the court than on it, but on the court, it's important to focus and dedicate all your time to your craft because that's what got you there. At the end of the day, wins equal dollar signs and new contracts.
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Gauff beats Raducanu in straight sets at Australian Open
"That's what I ended up seeing in my own career, so I'm speaking more from experience. It's a fine balance because I'm not saying don't do it altogether because honestly, it's impossible at this point. She needs to do these obligations contractually but focus on the tennis and the work and then do that.
"It's about putting your life in order, having a schedule, sticking to that schedule and then finding time for other things. She just needs to settle, find her ground and take the pressure and expectation off because she already did something that not many people can do.
"Remember the reason why you started playing tennis in the first place. It's because of the love of the sport."
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The 2023 Australian Open was live and the French Open will follow on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.co.uk
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