World No. 25 Emma Raducanu has had a tough season on the court in 2026, failing to win any silverware in the four tournaments she has played so far. She had a disastrous run during the Australian swing, losing in the quarterfinals as the top seed at the Hobart International and then getting knocked out in the second round of the Australian Open.
Following the R2 exit in Melbourne, Raducanu announced she was splitting with coach Francisco Roig, making it the ninth coach she has parted with since turning pro in 2018. Raducanu received a mixed bag of reactions to her decision and the frequency of her coaching changes.
Some fans and former players criticized her for poor decision-making and a blame-game approach, rather than addressing her own shortcomings. The most recent comment came from six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker, who wrote, “That’s it?” in response to a post stating that Raducanu had reached her fifth career semifinal in tour-level events after reaching the final four at Cluj-Napoca last week.
Discussing Raducanu’s situation on the latest episode of the tennis podcast, host Catherine Whitaker offered an interesting take on the developments surrounding the 23-year-old Brit and what she is doing to provoke such irresponsible hate and criticism.
“Did you see Boris Becker’s tweet about Emma Raducanu this week? It was just the perfect example of how Emma Raducanu brings out the petty, pathetic, often man in so many people. Why are you out here having a mean-spirited opinion about Emma Raducanu and putting it out into the universe?” Whitaker said.
“I don’t know what it is about her that brings that out in people, but it is a fact that she does, whether it’s Boris Becker, or Man in Pub, or Taxi Driver, or whoever it is,” she added.
After Disappointment in Romania, Emma Raducanu Suffers a Shocker in Qatar
Raducanu bounced back from her dissapointing loss in Melbourne by reaching the final of the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca. In the summit clash, she met homegirl and veteran Sorana Cirstea (set to retire at the end of 2026), who surprised the Brit by overpowering the contest and beating her in straight sets.
Raducanu then turned her attention to the Doha Open, which commenced on February 9, but suffered a shocking exit after withdrawing from her opening-round match against Camila Osorio due to an injury. The Brit trailed Osorio 2-0 in the deciding set when she called for a medical timeout and then ultimately announced her withdrawal.
With this loss, Raducanu is now 6-4 for the year and will be hoping to get back to winning ways when she plays in the Dubai Open next, starting February 16.
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