Emma Raducanou will miss the French Open and Wimbledon after wrist surgery. Photo: @EmmaRaducanu//Instagram
Late Wednesday night, Instagram The message came from Emma Raducanu from her hospital bed, her right wrist in bandages but her face with a smile that sparked thousands of brand partnerships.
Accompanying the photo was a cute, handwritten note in lower case letters explaining Raducan's injuries, her treatment, and her sadness over her impending absence from summer tennis. Two days later, on a Friday afternoon, a second post followed, telling us about her ankle surgery. Everything is quite authentic and heartfelt, so why did it seem to us that we were being played?
Radukanu posted this photo to Instagram on Friday, showing her wrist and ankle bandages after two surgeries. Photo: Instagram.
Maybe because a few months ago Radukanu gave up social networks. “After AO [Australian Open] I deleted WhatsApp and Instagram from my phone and after that I live under my own little rock,” she said in March. A wise approach for those who generate excessive and unwarranted anger online, but it's hard to reconcile with this carefully crafted photo and statement.
As far as we know, this photo may have been taken by a passing nurse, but it's so flawlessly executed that it's no wonder it's the work of a dozen PR teams.
We are well accustomed to contrived brand building exercises from athletes on social media. It's a place where they can supplement their income, where fake candid photos exist to get as much attention as possible for lucrative posts. Radukan may very well be «off Instagram» as she no longer views it, but deleting her account is not an option.
One line in her original statement caught my attention: «I thank all my fans who continued to support me when you didn't know the facts.» At first glance, a sincere message of goodwill to people expressing the same towards her. But perhaps also a blow to her detractors in and out of the media who dare to question her poor form and injuries?
I then took a break from my busy schedule to be a snide little nerd to present this from Radukan's Gaze. Looking at the replies to her Instagram posts, maybe she's grateful to everyone who doesn't join the pipe. In the comments under the three posts before her surgery announcement, plug-ins for Porsche, British Airways and Vodafone, the message was consistent: focus on your tennis, get back to work.
Here it is worth considering the latitude that is given to male athletes to earn money or even just do something unrelated to their sport. Tim Henman (zero Grand Slam singles titles) was backed by a mountain full of people gently cheering him on, not getting killed for not working on his backhand when backing the Robinsons' squash. Six weeks ago, Nick Kyrgios (zero Grand Slam singles titles) was drinking his sugar-free soft drink with Logan Paul. People in the comments were talking mostly about how delicious it is.
On the contrary, for committing the obvious crime of winning an unexpected Slam from a position of near anonymity, Radukan's path is a relentless criticism and has been called a one-hit wonder. As always, it is a mistake to confuse online comments with the majority opinion and most likely feel something between sympathy and indifference towards her.
Nevertheless, there are voters who do not need much inducement to respond hostilely to the actions of young women. What do the most angry critics of Radukan want from her? Should she leave money on the table that may never be available again? Should she retire from tennis ashamed that she had the courage to reach a glorious peak at such an early age? How many tour wins does she need to get permission to spend her time the way she wants?
The operation may not cure Radukan's frequent but unlikely atypical injuries, and she may never win the US Open. But if such is her unfortunate fate, she has already given us enough. Now do her a favor and buy yourself a Porsche.
Свежие комментарии