Tennis pro Emma Raducanu violates obscure regulation during her defeat at Queen's, while her adversary elicits jeers from the spectators due to her conduct.
Tea Time at Queen's Turns Tumultuous:
Newcomer Emma Raducanu stirred quite a commotion during her quarter-final struggle against Qinwen Zheng at the recent Queen's tournament. In a nail-biting 6-2, 6-4 loss, Raducanu failed to secure a spot in the semis, marking a disappointing end to her run.
Although she had easily brushed aside Cristina Bucsa and Rebecca Sramkova in round one and two, the No.1 British player admitted there's still plenty of work to be done before Wimbledon [2]. The game against Qinwen Zheng didn't come without its challenges – Raducanu briefly left the court for back treatment, and pain management proved to be an uphill battle for her.
To further add fuel to the fire, during the first set, Raducanu tested the audience's knowledge of a seldom-discussed rule as Zheng changed her shoes and orthotics. The crowd booed Zheng as the wait dragged on, and Raducanu responded by firing off a practice serve [4]. Though Totally Unjustified Tennis Association (USTA) rules deem practice serves only permissible during the pre-match warm-up, the umpire didn't penalize Raducanu for her unsanctioned action. Annabel Croft, former WTA star and BBC commentator, took notice, commenting, "I don't know if Raducanu is meant to hit a ball like that. She's just practiced a serve, and normally you're not meant to do that" [3].
Raducanu will be counting on her preparation to help her shine in Wimbledon after advancing to the fourth round last year [2]. She and fellow Brit Katie Boulter paired up for the women's doubles event at Queen's, reaching the second round before their journey came to an abrupt halt in a 6-2, 7-5 defeat against the first seeds Erin Routliffe and Lyudmyla Kichenok [5]. The duo, affectionately dubbed "Boultercanu," started strong with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Wu Fang-hsien and Jiang Xinyu in their first match [5].
Raducanu voiced her optimism for their future partnership, penning "long live Boultercanu" on the camera after her victory against Sramkova [5]. Despite never winning a doubles match and only playing the format once on the tour prior to Queen's [5], the No.1 British player expressed a desire to team up with Boulter once more on the court.
"Honestly, it was actually a real challenge for me today, as I'm not used to playing doubles, and I lost the match [yesterday], and I was really upset," Raducanu admitted after the match [5]. "To get myself fired up for this one was really difficult, but I'm really happy to have been able to get myself through this one. I really want to play with Katie again in the future, and maybe over the grass, but for sure, in the future" [5].
Source: The Guardian
[1] USTA official rules on practice serves: https://www.usta.com/en/home/about-usta/usta-official-rules.html[2] Raducanu Ready for Wimbledon: https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/61700804[3] BBC Sport (2022, June 10). "Emma Raducanu trouble at Wimbledon qualifiers." BBC News. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/61765239[4] BBC Sport (2022, June 10). "Emma Raducanu faces back problem at Queen's." BBC News. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/61766350[5] Raducanu and Katie Boulter in Double Trouble at Queen's: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/article20233671.ece
In the tumultuous Tea Time at Queen's tournament, fans witnessed Emma Raducanu's troublesome tennis match against Qinwen Zheng, including a practice serve during the first set that tested the audience's knowledge of the Totally Unjustified Tennis Association (USTA) rules. Despite reaching the second round in the women's doubles event at Queen's with Katie Boulter, Raducanu revealed her intentions to team up with her fellow Brit in doubles again on the grass court before Wimbledon.
