VICTORIA AZARENKA reckons Emma Raducanu was “latched onto” by fake people following her stunning US Open win.
Against all odds and conventional wisdom, the Brit lifted the New York Slam aged 18 in September 2021 and became a multi-millionaire overnight.
Emma Raducanu poses in the evian VIP Suite At Wimbledon 2023
Emma Raducanu was been hampered with recent injuries
It was a glorious result that catapulted her to worldwide fame with invitations to film premieres, the Met Gala and blue-chip sponsors queued up to grab her signature.
Yet it has been a tough road since then, notably the high number of injuries and early-round exits from tournaments.
In a moment of reflection, Raducanu recently admitted in a newspaper interview that she “sometimes I wish I’d never won the US Open”.
She also claimed the women’s tour is “not a trusting and safe space” after being “burnt” a few times by the “sharks” who view her as just a “piggy bank”.
Without naming any names, two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka believes strongly the Kent ace was targeted by those did not have her best interests at heart.
The Belarusian, 33, said: “When Emma won the US Open, what I noticed at that time was that everybody latched onto her as if she was their friend.
“And I was thinking that they probably didn’t even know her a month ago. In a way, it didn’t feel very real.
“It’s sad to hear her say that sometimes she wishes she had never won the US Open.
“But I think this is a very momentary feeling because if you said to her ‘Okay, we’ll take it away and you can carry on’, I’m not sure she would agree to that.
“I think the advice I would have given her is that you should not forget the people who drove you to that moment and who helped you get there.
“From my experience, I would say she needs to have a very small circle and a very solid one.”
Speaking to ex-Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan as part of the William Hill conversation podcast, Azarenka says she chatted on text with Raducanu several years ago, long before she reached the last 16 of Wimbledon.
Raducanu is missing Wimbledon and the US Open this summer as she recovers from having had three surgeries in May.
World No.20 Azarenka added: “I met Emma on WhatsApp.
“Her agent at the time reached out to mine and said that there was a young girl who wanted to talk to me and ask for some advice.
“We talked for about an hour and she was telling me that she was having some injury troubles and that she was looking forward to joining the tour.
“Then at Wimbledon in 2021, I heard the name Emma Raducanu, and I looked back in my emails and it was her!
“When Emma won the US Open, the feeling was one of ecstasy and people being so happy for her.
“Now that she is down, people are jumping on her and those negative waves are hard to handle.
“When you’re in the moment, you don’t realise what’s going on around you, and I don’t think she realised how big she became and how huge the moment was.
“Everybody wanted to be a part of it.”
+ William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, is available on YouTube and Spotify. +
Elina Svitolina met Raducanu through WhatsApp
