Emma Raducanu’s exit in the first round of the 2024 Madrid Open has sparked discussions among disappointed fans.

Raducanu returned to tennis at the ASB Classic this year after being out of action for a long time due to ankle and wrist injuries. The Brit has been struggling to find her rhythm and things have gone from bad to worse for her at the Madrid Open.

The 21-year-old received a main draw wildcard for the Masters 1000 tournament and came up against Argentinian qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle in her opening match. The World No. 82 decimated Raducanu 6-2, 6-2 to eliminate the Brit.

Fans disappointed with Emma Raducanu’s early exit took to X (formerly Twitter) where they discussed the Brit’s performance and form. One of the fans said that her performance was dreadful and that she should begin playing 125 tournaments to improve her level on clay.

“Dreadful performance by Raducanu, but it should be noted that Carlé is a natural on clay and very experienced on the surface. Raducanu should ideally humble herself, refuse WCs and start playing 125s/coming through qualifying. It’s the best way for her to improve on clay.”

Another fan mentioned that this was her worst defeat since the 2023 Stuttgart Open where she lost to Jelena Ostapenko, in terms of the number of games won.

“Bad day at the office for Emma Raducanu, beaten 6-2 6-2 by world No 82 Maria Lourdes Carle in Madrid. The worst defeat (by games won) of her comeback, going back to Stuttgart 2023. A blip after a decent few weeks.”

Here are some other reactions from fans who spoke about the media being an issue.

“This is horrid from Raducanu Doesn’t seem to want to be on Court today. 2-6 1-4 down hardly winning a service point. Too much media before the tournament?” a fan questioned.

“I saw so many Brit Tennis Talkers all going ga ga the past weeks….. ” a fan said.

“”I feel like I’m playing some of the best tennis of my career and my life” (E. Raducanu, 14 April 2024)” a fan mocked.

Some fans made fun of her performance.

“Down she goes the rankings again haha” a fan laughed.

“If you want to know the result of Emma’s Madrid R1 match, look between K and Z.” another fan mocked.

“and those service games were 6 UEs from Carle lol” a fan noted.

Emma Raducanu has a 9-7 win-loss record in 2024

Emma Raducanu’s return to tennis hasn’t gone according to her plan as she continues to struggle with her form.

The Brit has made it to only one quarterfinal out of the seven tournaments she has played in so far. She began her season at the ASB Classic but was eliminated early in the second round by Elina Svitolina. Raducanu then entered the Australian Open but was handed another second-round elimination by Yafan Wang.

Raducanu faced her third straight second-round exit after losing to Ons Jabeur at the Abu Dhabi Open. She faced a first-round exit at the Qatar Open after being defeated by Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets.

The former US Open champion then entered Indian Wells where she won her first match in straight sets and received a walkover in the second round, but was eliminated by Aryna Sabalenka in the third round in straight sets. She withdrew from the Miami Open due to a lower back injury.

Emma Raducanu played some of her best tennis at the Stuttgart Open defeating Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova in successive rounds in straight sets but was eliminated by Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. She followed it up with her seventh defeat of the year at the Madrid Open.