Billie Jean King tells Emma Raducanu to toughen up following the Brit’s comments calling the Tour ‘brutal’

American tennis legend and activist Billie Jean King criticized Emma Raducanu for her recent claims that the WTA Tour is ‘brutal.’

Emma Raducanu has been enduring a difficult phase of late and had to recently go under the knife to treat multiple injuries, ruling her out of this year’s Wimbledon. The British sensation recently opened up about the physical and emotional struggles that she has had to endure over the last year and a half or so. Fellow WTA players like Coco Gauff publicly empathized with Raducanu following her candid interview.

Billie Jean King, who pioneered gender equality in tennis and played a pivotal role in establishing the WTA, was less than forgiving in her reaction to Emma Raducanu’s statement that the WTA Tour is ‘completely brutal.’

The 79-year-old, a former world number one tennis player and the winner of an astonishing 39 Grand Slam titles across categories, responded to Emma Raducanu’s comments about the WTA tour. She highlighted that being a professional athlete is difficult and that players should seek help if needed.

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Bille Jean King advises Emma Raducanu to ‘toughen up’

While accepting that the WTA Tour can sometimes be challenging, Billie Jean King, who herself has witnessed many battles in her tennis career, advised Emma Raducanu to toughen up.

“Being a pro-athlete is hard. What do they expect? It is going to be difficult, but you’ve chosen to be a professional athlete. With that goes certain things that you have to look at. It’s competitive. You have to ask for help if you need it. We [athletes] are used to stiff upper lip, be tough. No. On the court maybe, but off the court, you need help. Ask for what you want and need,” King said, speaking exclusively to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

Emma Raducanu achieved stupendous success at the back end of the 2021 tennis season, winning the US Open as a qualifier. Things haven’t been all that rosy for the British athlete since then. Frequent changes to her coaching team and injuries have taken their toll, and the youngster finds herself out of the Top 100 in the WTA charts.

Billie Jean King is a legend in the world of tennis, and her words carry a lot of weight. She is right to say that being a professional athlete is not easy and that it takes a lot of mental toughness to succeed. Emma Raducanu is still very young and still learning to cope with the demands of professional tennis, having tasted Grand Slam success at a very young age. Ultimately, it is up to Emma Raducanu to decide how she wants to handle the pressures of professional tennis. However, she can take comfort in knowing that she is not alone and that many people are willing to support her.

In case you missed it:

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