Emma Raducanu has revealed she has deleted Instagram and even WhatsApp from her phone.
The British number one decided to take some time away from social media after her exit from the Australian Open, in order to focus more on herself and her tennis.
Since winning the 2021 US Open at just 18 years old, Raducanu’s profile has skyrocketed, and she has become one of Britain’s most marketable athletes.
However, with her success has come a lot of pressure and indeed, criticism.
Emma Raducanu deletes social apps from her phone
Raducanu has struggled with her form on the court lately and has admitted she removed social media and messaging apps from her phone back in January in order to avoid online scrutiny.
The 20-year-old has more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram and is the fifth most popular tennis player on the app.
“After that [removing the apps], I’ve been living under my own little rock,” she told The Times.
“Sometimes you just go through some patches where you feel like you just want to zone in on yourself.”
Posts have since been uploaded to Raducanu’s Instagram profile, but they are likely to be from her management team.
Since her rise into the spotlight, Raducanu has built up a fan-base of passionate supporters. However, her injury problems and inconsistent form since 2021 has attracted a lot of online trolls and negative comments.
This is something the Brit is well aware of and admits it is unfortunately a big part of social media culture.
“I feel that it affects you, but I’ve just learned regardless of what you do — if you do good, if you do bad — people are going to come at you regardless,” she said.
“Now it doesn’t really bother me so much and I don’t really let it affect me.”
When does Emma Raducanu play next?
Raducanu is currently competing at Indian Wells, despite some initial doubt over her fitness.
Recurring wrist problems looked to hinder her chances of playing at the WTA 1000 event, and she was also recovering from tonsillitis, but she still managed to secure a straight-sets win in the first round over Danka Kovinic.
However, Raducanu could be seen coughing and gasping for breath during the 6-2, 6-3 win.
She even admitted that “two minutes before she was called to court”, she had been napping in the treatment room.
“I’m just proud to have got out there and won,” she said.
The 20-year-old will face Magda Linette in the second round, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year.
