Emma Raducanu's 'tough year' nothing to do with commercial shoots, says agent ahead of Wimbledon
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Updated 24/06/2022 at 10:44 GMT
Emma Raducanu has struggled for form and fitness since her shock US Open victory in September 2021, but her agent Max Eisenbud insisted ahead of Wimbledon that she has not been distracted by commercial opportunities after becoming an ambassador for several companies, while Raducanu has agreed to a maximum 18 days per year to be set aside for shoots.
Highlights: Raducanu sees French Open campaign ended by Sasnovich
Emma Raducanu’s agent says that her hugely increased commercial opportunities are not to blame for the dip in form that followed her sensational US Open triumph in 2021.
The Brit clinched a surprise maiden Grand Slam title aged 18 in New York last September, becoming the first British woman to win a major title in 44 years.
But Raducanu has struggled for form and fitness since then and heads into Wimbledon, where she will face Belgium's Alison van Uytvanck in the first round, having lost 11 of her 19 matches in 2022 so far.
Raducanu’s astonishing triumph at Flushing Meadows led to huge commercial interest, and she now has lucrative deals as a brand ambassador for nine companies.
However, her agent Max Eisenbud insisted that the off-court opportunities have not impacted her game.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sports Desk podcast, Eisenbud said: "It's been a tough year. I think she got a lot of bad luck and what really hurt her was [catching] Covid and not having a great off-season, and then she was playing catch up.
"But I think that if she had zero shoot dates, everything would be the same.
"I know from the outside, you guys want to look at all those things - but if she locked herself in the room for the whole year and didn't do anything, I think it would be the same."
Eisenbud also explained that measures have been put in place to ensure that the 19-year-old’s time spent with off-court responsibilities is limited.
"We could have done 50 days of shoots. I've never seen the amount of excitement and companies that wanted to be in business with Emma after the US Open,” Eisenbud said.
Instead, Eisenbud has followed the same pattern that he previously used after a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004.
Speaking about Sharapova, Eisenbud said: “We did this exercise through the entire year, and we figured out that there was probably 18 days a year that she can give to sponsors that won't affect her tennis training or her tournament schedule.
"Again with the same philosophy [for Raducanu]. Never a week or so before a tournament, never in a tournament week and never right after the tournament.
"I understand how people who don't understand that philosophy could think that it is distracting her, but I think when you see how it's laid out, it really is not the case
"Emma decided that she wants to start her shoots at 12pm or 1pm and go until 8pm or 9pm and have the option in the morning to either train or work out or do some fitness.
"Not all the days have been used of the 18. There are sponsors that have those days, but many of them don't use them.
"I would imagine by the end of the year the amount of days she uses will be around 13.
"But when the 19th day comes, and it's millions of dollars and you have got to say 'no' because you're being true to the 18 days - it's tough."
Raducanu’s bid for Wimbledon glory begins next week, with the men’s and women’s singles first round starting on Monday.
The teenager was knocked out in the second round in both of her Grand Slam appearances so far this season, at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
Her last match was a defeat to Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in the first round of the Nottingham Open, where Raducanu retired through injury after just 35 minutes and seven games.
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Watch daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm on Eurosport 2 and discovery+ from June 27, as well as the two singles finals live on July 9 and 10.
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