Emma Raducanu draws the ire of fans after alleged $3 million demand reportedly forces sponsor to cut ties

Emma Raducanu came under fire from fans after reports suggested she lost her close to £3 million ($3.96 million) per year deal with media giant Vodafone for allegedly demanding too much money.

The Brit became an ambassador for Vodafone in 2021 after her astonishing US Open triumph. But according to reports in the UK, Raducanu, who is one of the many tennis ambassadors of Vodafone, has now been axed.

She joined the media giant at age 19 in 2021 when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and won the US Open title. However, Emma Raducanu's performances have fallen short since her triumph in New York. She has not reached a final since 2021 and has also spent significant time on the sidelines due to injuries and multiple surgeries.

The report about Raducanu losing Vodafone's sponsorship as "she was demanding too much money" was shared on X.

Several fans criticized her in the comments, saying she was still earning her sponsorships on the back of her 2021 win.

"Wow, this self-sabotage is absurd, she needs to come back down to earth," one fan wrote.

"Wow asking for 3 MILLION?😲, she's still working off that fluky GS win 4 yrs ago and a QF run in Miami. She and her team team are delusional," another fan wrote.

"When you think you are 100x times bigger than you actually are 😅" a third fan wrote.

Here are a few more fan reactions to reports about Emma Raducanu losing Vodafone as a sponsor.

"3m a year is crazy," one fan wrote.

"The golden era of sponsors is over for Raducanu. She has no results and she’s not the « it girl » anymore. She is gonna be dropped by a lot of sponsors, i think the first one was Dior," another fan wrote.

"The girl is delusional and lucky she was getting any partnership opportunities tbh. She is pretty and all but how are the sponsors really benefiting from her at all when she is alive in the draws for like 5 mins in total?" yet another fan wrote.

According to Sportico, Raducanu was the seventh highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2024.

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Emma Raducanu revived her 2025 season with an impressive display at the Miami Open

Emma Raducanu at the Miami Open - Source: Getty

Emma Raducanu has struggled to make a mark on the tour since her US Open triumph in 2021. She had to take multiple hiatuses due to her injury and failed to find her footing.

2025 saw Raducanu continuing her slump with four losses in a row, including first-round exits in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar. She finally got a win in her first round at Dubai but was ousted in the next round.

Things got bad again as she lost in the first round at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, but the Miami Open was her saving grace. She pulled off some impressive performances to beat the likes of Amanda Anisimova and Emma Navarro to reach the quarterfinal.

Her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal was against Jessica Pegula, and the Brit lost 4-6, 7-6, 2-6. The 22-year-old received plaudits for her performances.

Later, she withdrew from the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs where her nation, Great Britain, qualified. It is not confirmed where Raducanu will play next, but her name is on the Madrid Open entry list, which is expected to be her first clay court event.