British number one Emma Raducanu suffered a dramatic shock exit from the Australian Open in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and she has already lost almost half of her prize money from the event.
The 23-year-old exited the tournament following a straight-set defeat to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova in Melbourne. She succumbed to a second round defeat, losing 7-6 6-2 at the hands of the unseeded Potapova in a disappointing start to the year for the former 2021 US Open winner.
Raducanu began brightly in the match, breaking early. However, she missed out when serving for the first set and her challenge crumbled soon after against the world number 55.
Emma Raducanu Explains Why She Struggled at Australian Open
In the wake of her exit, Raducanu pointed to a lack of match practice after having to overcome another injury setback, this time a foot injury prior to the first major Grand Slam of the year. “I would say 1st of Jan when I came out here, I hadn’t moved, I hadn’t even done a two-cross, one-line drill.
“I hadn’t moved from my half of the court. So if you had told me I would have played, you know, four matches, five matches in Australia regardless of how they went, I think from a physical perspective, it would have been, you know, like, pretty surprising.” Raducanu stated.
The road to recovery following light bone bruising to Raducanu’s right foot during the off-season meant that preparations for the Australian Open were less than ideal. Practice pre-tournament consisted of mostly gym work and static hitting, while competing in only one match at the United Cup and two matches in Hobart leading into the Grand Slam first round in which Raducanu beat Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew in straight sets.
In addition to her recovery, Raducanu also cited the conditions in Melbourne as unfavourable in her quest to advance to the third round. Raducanu went on to say: “I think, you know, playing at different times is also another challenge. You know, playing at night compared to day, the conditions are very different. Yeah, I just hadn’t really played in these kinds of conditions in a minute, so didn’t deal with it very well today.”
Why Emma Raducanu Will Lose Huge Chunk of Australian Open Prize Money
With Australian Open prize money at record levels this year, even players who go out in the early rounds are making six figures. However, Raducanu won’t receive anywhere close to her full $225,000 (£167,000) prize money for reaching the second round.
Her Australian Open prize money alone is above the threshold to pay additional rate tax in the UK (£125,140), meaning that she will pay tax on her prize money at 45%. As a result, she would be liable for £75,150 in income tax, before a 2% deduction for Class Four National Insurance of £3,340.
The above means that Raducanu would take home just over half of her winnings (£88,510). This figure is before any deductible expenses such as travel and accommodation costs and coaching fees. These will be deducted from Raducanu’s taxable income and reduce her overall tax bill.
Raducanu is expected to resume her path towards the season’s next Grand Slam, the French Open in May, by competing at the WTA 250 event in Cluj, Romania. It is a tournament that holds special significance for the British ace, as she went on to reveal:
“Right now, I’m signed up to play in Cluj, so hopefully I make it there. That will be good to return to my dad’s home country. I haven’t been back in a few years, so that will be a nice opportunity if I get it.”
