"Emma Raducanu doesn't have what it takes"; "Worst Grand Slam winner" - Fans in disarray after Brit loses to World No. 219 in shock Ningbo Open exit

Emma Raducanu suffered her second first-round defeat in as many weeks at the 2025 Ningbo Open on Tuesday (October 14), going out to local favorite Zhu Lin in three sets. The tennis community hasn't taken kindly to the Brit's subpar performance, calling into question whether she will ever win a title again.

While Raducanu made her comeback to the top 30 WTA rankings and recorded three third-round appearances at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in 2025, she struggled for consistency for a large part of the season. The 22-year-old fell to a 28-22 year-to-date win/loss record following her latest loss in Ningbo to World No. 219 Zhu Lin.

Emma Raducanu began her tournament opener at the 250-level event in ideal fashion, winning the first set 6-3. However, the World No. 29 suffered a lower back injury midway through the second set, which required a medical time-out. It was one-way traffic in favor of the Chinese wildcard from thereon as she completed a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over the Brit.

The subsequent reactions on X (formerly Twitter) to the 2021 US Open champion's early exit from the Ningbo Open were negative to say the least. One fan was especially harsh in their judgment of her performance.

"Emma Raducanu will never be a champion again. Not even of a WTA 250. Champions have fighting spirit, never give up and aren’t afraid of losing. They learn from their losses. She doesn’t have what it takes," the fan asserted on X.

Another fan, meanwhile, went as far as to suggest that Raducanu can very well go down as the "worst Grand Slam champion of all time".

"Emma Raducanu with back to back double faults getting herself broken to a Chinese wild card hahaha. Worst grand winner of all time," they claimed.

The fact that the Western media has tried to prop the former World No. 10 up as the next big thing was a recurring theme in the discourse.

"I remember when the media told us she’d be the first British billionaire sportswoman," one fan wrote.

The timing of Emma Raducanu's medical time-out during her defeat on Tuesday was also criticized by a few fans.

"Somebody needs to investigate Raducanu. She can’t call a break every time the momentum shifts against her, to cool her opponent down. She’s a cheater," one fan suggested. "That is Emma Raducanu for you! Wins the first set, loses on the second, asks for Medical Timeout, and chokes on the third," another claimed.

The 22-year-old's fitness hasn't been at a high level in the last few weeks. During her first-round match at the Wuhan Open, she was heavily affected by the hot and humid weather if her retirement at 1-6, 1-4 down to USA's Ann Li was any indication.

---

Emma Raducanu has previously courted controversy for her medical time-outs

Emma Raducanu taking a medical time-out after losing the momentum of a first-set lead has started to become a pattern lately. During her Round-of-16 clash against Danielle Collins at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, the Brit took an MTO in the second set of a 6-4, 1-6, 3-6 loss that subsequently prompted fans to accuse her of having faked her injury.

More recently, Raducanu was also blasted for taking a medical time-out during her 6-4, 7-5 win over Maria Sakkari in a heat-riddled Citi DC Open quarterfinal affair. After she fell behind by a break in the second set, the play was stopped as the former US Open champion requested to get her vitals checked. The break was enough for her to reverse the advantage, which led to "cheating" allegations online.

Edited by Rudra Biswas