SHOCKING SETBACK: EMMA RADUCANU LOSES £3M SPONSORSHIP – WHAT REALLY WENT WRONG?

Emma Raducanu Loses £3 Million Deal with Vodafone After Asking for More Money

British tennis star Emma Raducanu has lost her £3 million-a-year sponsorship deal with Vodafone. The deal had lasted four years, starting in December 2021. Vodafone, a big phone and internet company, ended the deal after Raducanu reportedly asked for too much money during contract talks.

Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, became one of the main faces of Vodafone. She was even featured in their ads as a 5G hologram tennis coach for young players. But in 2023, her role in the company’s promotions became smaller after she had to stop playing tennis early to have surgeries on both wrists and one ankle.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, Vodafone didn’t renew the contract because they felt her demands were too high. It’s said that this sponsorship was her most profitable deal.

Even though Raducanu is now ranked No. 47 in the world and has had trouble with injuries and form, she is still one of the highest-earning female athletes. In 2024, she made about £9 million from sponsorships alone. Altogether, she earned £11 million that year, making her the seventh best-paid female athlete in the world.

Apart from Vodafone, Raducanu still earns around £100,000 each from deals with Nike and Wilson. She also has big deals with Dior and Tiffany & Co., which bring her around £2 million.

There are also questions about her relationship with Porsche. In October, it was reported that Porsche took back the luxury car—a £125,000 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet—that Raducanu had been using for three years. A person close to her said, “Emma no longer has a Porsche. They took it back. It used to sit proudly at her home.”

A Porsche spokesperson said they sometimes let Emma use a car, but only occasionally, and it’s not a permanent deal.

Despite all the ups and downs, Raducanu is working hard to come back strong. After a long break due to surgery in 2023, she recently showed better form. At the Miami Open, she won four matches in a row and made it to the quarter-finals.

She said her improvement is thanks to the people around her. “I have some really good people who I trust and who make things fun off the court,” she said.

Raducanu is also looking for a new full-time coach. After splitting with her previous coach Nick Cavaday in January, she is now in talks with Mark Petchey, a former tennis pro and coach, to join her team.