"She’s lost more matches than she’s won this year, what a joke"- Tennis fans react to Emma Raducanu winning the ESPY award

The 2022 ESPYS Awards were held in Los Angeles, with the winner being reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu.

The ESPY Award is a distinction granted by the American broadcast television network ABC, and formerly ESPN, to honor outstanding performances in sports during the calendar year.

The Best Athlete Women's Tennis ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award went to Emma Raducanu. To achieve this, she overcame the likes of Ashleigh Barty, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Leylah Fernandez.

Rafael Nadal won the award for Best Athlete in Men's Tennis. The Spaniard was one of four athletes competing for the title of Best Athlete Men's Tennis, along with Dylan Alcott, Carlos Alcaraz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

However, the decision to declare Raducanu the winner wasn't well received by some tennis fans on Twitter. Some of them highlighted instances where Iga Swiatek, the current World No. 1, was more deserving than the Brit, while others outright criticized Raducanu for her lackluster performances this year.

Another user seemed to think that the Brit wasn't even deserving of the recognition and that none of the actual talents in women's tennis were receiving it.

Another fan pointed out that Iga Swiatek had a better season than Raducanu but the 19-year-old Brit still won the award.

Emma Raducanu practises in Florida ahead of her US Open title defense

Emma Raducanu suffered an early exit at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in the second round. The British No. 1 was defeated by Caroline Garcia in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

Nevertheless, the top-10 ranked player was seen honing her preparations for the North American summer swing, which will come to a close at the US Open. Raducanu is currently receiving training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

At the beginning of August, the 19-year-old Brit will begin her summer hardcourt season in Washington before playing in Toronto and Cincinnati. She will then participate at the US Open, where she is the defending champion.

About the author

Pritha is one of the driving forces behind Sportskeeda's tennis coverage, serving as an assistant content manager and editor. What began as a casual escape from her tiring biotechnology degree course in early 2022 has blossomed into a passion she loves, cherishes, and breathes every day.

Pritha’s love for the sport was spawned by her dad who showed her clips of "GOAT" Steffi Graf’s matches. Despite a thwarted dream of playing professionally due to injury, she finds solace in reporting the sport, while also mentoring other writers to ensure every article is error-free and top-notch. She double-checks credible sources, such as the tournament/player handles and big tennis media outlets, and gives proper credit where required.

Pritha's journey at Sportskeeda is marked by more than 2000 articles and close to 16 million views, with the "dream-come-true" moment of having her article shared by Chris Evert serving as a highlight of her career. A lifelong Wimbledon fan, Pritha also adores Rafael Nadal, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka.

When she's not seeking unique angles to elevate tennis coverage at Sportskeeda, she loves to channel her inner astrophysics "nerd" by exploring new sci-fi series and movies. A big Lionel Messi, Lewis Hamilton, and Randy Orton fan, she is always ready to engage in sports conversations anytime, anywhere, albeit not without a cup of coffee.

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