Emma Raducanu has reportedly been dropped by leading sponsor Vodafone after “demanding too much money”, reports have claimed.
The Mail on Sunday has reported that the 22-year-old, who shot to fame following her stunning US Open triumph back in 2021, will not see her deal with the phone company renewed.
The report states that sources close to Vodafone, who also sponsor the likes of Jack Draper, decided to end the partnership with Raducanu due to her financial demands.
Raducanu was initially announced as a Vodafone ambassador back in December 2021, one of countless sponsorship opportunities that flew her way in the aftermath of her US Open victory.
However, her partnership with Vodafone was thought to have been her most lucrative partnership, with the Brit reportedly raking in £3 million a year thanks to the partnership.
The MoS report claims that this placed her Vodafone partnership ahead of other high-profile deals with the likes of Dior and Tiffany & Co, which allegedly earn Raducanu £2m.
The loss of the Vodafone partnership could come as a significant blow for the 22-year-old, whose struggles since her epic triumph in Flushing Meadows have been well-documented.
Raducanu has famously not won a WTA title since that victory and has struggled repeatedly with injury issues, though she did rise back inside the top 60 in 2024.
A recent run to the quarter-final of the Miami Open saw her reach the last eight of a WTA 1000-level event for the first time and return to the top 50, with Raducanu currently ranked 47th in the world.
Despite her struggles on court, she has remained, up until now, one of the most marketable athletes off it, being named as the seventh highest-paid female athlete of 2024.
The majority of the $14m reportedly earned by Raducanu in 2024 came from sponsorship, and only one non-tennis player – skiing star Eileen Gu – earned more than her.
However, the reported loss of the Vodafone partnership could suggest that her star power may be on the wane – and that her marketability is being affected by inconsistency within her career.
Last year, it had been reported that Raducanu’s longstanding deal with Porsche had ended, though this was later denied by the car manufacturer.
World No 47 Raducanu has not played since her run to the Miami Open quarter-final, which was ended by a three-set defeat to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula.
The Brit has since gone on to pull out of the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers and the Rouen Open, and is currently expected to return at the Madrid Open.