Emma Raducanu got off to a battling start in the Australian Open after she squared up to Sloane Stephens in the first round. Indeed, despite winning the first set in an astonishing 17 minutes, Raducanu had to battle back to eventually win the game after Stephens broke her serve three times in the second set. Eventually, it was business as usual as Raducanu cruised past Stephens in the third to get one step closer to winning this iconic grand slam Down Under.
Still, at 11/1 in the latest Australian Open odds 2022, nothing will be handed to Raducanu and she will have to match the effort in her first round if she is to get anywhere close. The post-match exchanges of this encounter did, however, leave a bad taste in one’s mouth after Stephens took a parting shot at Raducanu by telling the 19-year-old that “she has a lot to learn” before heading to Melbourne Airport to catch an earlier-than-expected flight home.
Of course, a first round exit at the hands of a competitor who is almost ten years her junior would have been difficult to take for Stephens but then again that is the challenge for all professional tennis players during post-match interviews to not show any feelings of malice as it will only weaken their personal brand. Indeed, players live and die by their image in tennis given the intense nature of the individual battle and signs of ill feeling towards an opponent is bound to hurt any reputation over the long term.
In Stephens’ case, it was regrettably a case of sour grapes after the 28-year-old went on to say the following to the press after the match: “I was talking to someone in the locker room and I’m like, ‘We’ll be here when she comes down’.”
Stephens was alluding to the fact that there will be crushing disappointments ahead for Raducanu as she navigates her way through the world of professional tennis and that she will be there when those days come. Although if we were to strip away all the fluff, it actually sounded like Stephens was saying that she was keeping receipts after being embarrassed and would look forward to the day when Raducanu began to experience professional difficulties on the tennis court.
The 2017 US Open champion did try and do some remarkable rowing back on her statements afterward by saying that it was not aimed at Raducanu but players in general but it was a weak excuse given that she started the press conference complaining about Raducanu screaming during their game. Indeed, Stephens took exception to the fact that she felt Raducanu was playing her and not the match by screaming after winning a point so with this in mind, it’s clear to see that Stephens was out to give a younger player a clip around the ears.
The message to Raducanu has to be not to take any notice of Sloane Stephens’ or anyone else’s ‘life lessons’ when they’re as unfounded as this one. Of course, it won’t be the last time a professional takes aim at Emma Raducanu given her startling early career success, and yes, there will be times to take their message on board but for now, there is a strong case to disregard it in its entirety.
