Emma Raducanu has received 13 wildcards since returning from injury last year (Image: Getty)
Tennis fans believe tournaments should stop giving free passes to .
The British No. 2 has received 13 wildcards since returning from injury at the beginning of 2024.
At No. 61 in the world, Raducanu’s ranking isn’t high enough to make it into tournaments with smaller draws.
Raducanu’s last three appearances have been via wildcards. She took a last-minute pass into the qualifying event at the Abu Dhabi Open at the end of January.
But after some withdrawals, her wildcard was upgraded from qualifying to the main draw. Since then, the 22-year-old has been given wildcards into the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Dubai.
However, Raducanu hasn’t been able to make the most of her extra appearances. She lost in the first round in both Abu Dhabi and Doha, and had a second-round showing in Dubai.
Express Sport readers have now told tournament organisers to reject her requests for wildcards. 71 per cent of tennis fans said Raducanu did not deserve to keep receiving free passes.
Emma Raducanu recently ended her four-match losing streak (Image: Getty)
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It comes after the former US Open champion said she was “grateful” for the number of wildcards she received.
“I’m very appreciative, very grateful for all the wildcards I’ve received the last few weeks. I just really wanted to fight, do my best,” Raducanu told .
“I think something really important has been having amazing people around me. Jane [O’Donoghue, one of her mentors], who I’ve known forever, she’s like a big sister to me.
“And Yutaka [Nakamura, her fitness trainer] as well, their belief is unwavering, even though yours might quiver a little bit from time to time.”
The former world No. 10 also explained that her recent losses weren’t as bad as they seemed. She in Doha, who went on to beat and Jessica Pegula en route to the semi-final.
And 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova
The Brit added: “But I haven’t lost to bad players. Ekaterina went on and made semis and Marketa is a class opponent as well. So I have to put things in perspective and just try take care of my day and stay consistent and not let it run away from me.”
Raducanu did gain some momentum in Dubai. She but went out in the second round.
However, Raducanu faced exceptional circumstances in her round two match. Just two games in, the Brit .
The 22-year-old noticed a man who exhibited “fixed behaviour” towards her a day earlier in the first few rows of the crowd. The and had been banned from all WTA tournaments pending a threat assessment.