People from the tennis world have rushed to the defence of Emma Raducanu after ‘nasty’ comments from England head coach Eddie Jones.
The Aussie said he is determined to help Marcus Smith avoid the same traps that have derailed tennis players momentum since the teenager won the US Open in sensational fashion.
“The big thing for good young players is distractions,” Jones said.
“The distractions could be the exposure they get in the media, the praise they get, the criticism they get. There can be groups of agents who see this guy as the next big thing.
“There’s a reason why the young girl who won the US Open hasn’t done so well afterwards. What have you seen her on – the front page of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar or whatever, wearing Christian Dior clothes. All that is a distraction around her”
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A number of people, including Judy Murray, have criticized Jones, but Haskell has leapt to the defence of his former boss.
“Honestly, how you think this is sexist is beyond me,” said Haskell
“It’s a point about distraction and the pitfalls of fame, that can happen to anyone.
“I can see you desperately want to insight (sic) the cancel mob, but you are going to need to do better than that.”
LIST: 5 England Wonderkids Who Never Reached Their Potential
Judging by the names who appear on this list of much-talked-about rugby players who failed to succeed at a level that was expected of them, being English often comes with an extra dose of hype.
#5. Matthew Tait
- Caps: 36
- Position: Fullback, Winger, Centre
Making his debut against Wales, when the then-18-year-old was repeatedly dumped by Welsh centre Gavin Henson is infamous. That day would set back Tait’s development significantly, but he still played in the Rugby World Cup in 2007. After a quiet tournament, Tait lit up the final against South Africa with a dashing break that led to Mark Cueto’s infamously disallowed try.
But if Tait’s footwork in the final demonstrated his talent, he was never able to demonstrate that consistently on the biggest stage. Shifts from outside centre, to wing and then to full-back stunted his progress and were indicative of a possible star whose versatility worked against him ultimately.
