Emma Raducanu enjoys lunch with fellow tennis pro Fran Jones

Emma Raducanu enjoyed some down time from Wimbledon as she went for lunch with fellow tennis pro Fran Jones in London on Wednesday.

The tennis star, 21, and her pal, 23, looked in good spirits as they caught up while dining al fresco.

Emma cut a casual figure for the day as she sported a bright red T-shirt which she paired with matching trainers and dark blue jeans.

The athlete draped a white jumper over her shoulders and completed her outfit with a pair of sunglasses. 

Fran also opted for a laid back look as she wore a baby blue jumper with navy jeans and white trainers. 

Emma was seen checking her phone as she went for a stroll with Fran and she also posed for snaps with fans who spotted her. 

The outing comes days after Emma was attacked by social media trolls who branded her a ‘serial choker’ after she lost her fourth round Wimbledon match on Sunday.

The 21-year-old was stunned by qualifier Lulu Sun from New Zealand 6-2 5-7 6-2 in an epic three-set battle on Centre Court. 

The Brit clinched the second set 7-5 and had to take an early medical timeout in the the decider after she suffered an awkward fall.  

But trolls on social media were far from impressed by her performance with some describing her as a ‘one hit wonder’. 

She was also criticised for her decision to pull out of her match with Andy Murray to ‘prioritise singles’. 

Emma, however, doubled down on her withdrawal from the mixed doubles saying she had to put herself first. 

She told reporters in her post-match press conference: ‘I don’t think I would have done it any other way. I think in this sport especially, as an individual, you have to make your own calls and prioritise yourself.

‘Especially with my history, I just had to put myself first.’

One person commented on X: ‘Emma Raducanu. Serial choker. Get outta here. Boom.’

Another added: ‘That was a bad 24 hours for fans of Emma Raducanu.’

A third said: ‘Beaten by the much better player, score rather flattered Raducanu.

‘Performance lacked bravery, courage and endeavour. A cautious mindset that seems to be instilled in our sporting elite in this country.’ 

Another person posted: ‘Lulu Sun beat Emma Raducanu at the Centre Court in Wimbledon 2024 by watching YouTube videos.’ 

Others, however, criticised the trolls who were quick to jump on Emma’s performance. 

Lola Elise posted: ‘The hatred on here towards a 21 year old young woman playing tennis is really weird and shines a light on some of the genuinely nasty people who spend their days on this app. 

‘Come back stronger #EmmaRaducanu. Congratulations Lulu Sun, well played!’

Another added: ‘Baffled by the hate on Emma Raducanu. She’s 21 and has been battling injuries for a couple of years, allow the girl a bit of slack.’

Emma looked nervous against powerful New Zealander Sun who was the first qualifier to make the women’s singles quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 14 years.

She battled hard to force a deciding set but later slumped to a 6-2 5-7 6-2 defeat.

Left-hander Sun, who had never won a grand slam main-draw match before this week and is now on a seven-match winning streak, racked up 52 winners compared with just 19 from Emma and will now face Donna Vekic for a place in the semi-finals.

It had not been a comfortable 24 hours for Emma, with the positive vibes from her three impressive wins given a hammering by her decision to deny Andy Murray a Wimbledon swansong by pulling out of their mixed doubles opener citing a stiff wrist.

She found herself the subject of unwanted headlines, with the social media contribution of Judy Murray – albeit subsequently claimed not to be a criticism of Emma – adding fuel to the fire.

The strapping on her right wrist that had been present in practice on Saturday was nowhere to be seen, and Emma looked happy and relaxed hitting with fellow British player Liam Broady ahead of the match.

But, from the start of the contest on Centre Court, the former US Open champion, who knows all too well what qualifiers can achieve, seemed anything but comfortable.

Having swung freely through her last two matches against much-higher-ranked opponents, here all the pressure was on Emma, and it showed.

Her serve, which has been a key strength all tournament, was off and her groundstrokes lacked their usual fizz.

Sun, on the other hand, looked like playing on Centre Court was something she had been doing all her life, the 23-year-old crunching the ball and breaking the Raducanu serve – which the Briton had not dropped since the first round – twice to go 3-0 up.

Like Emma, Sun comes from a cosmopolitan background, with a Chinese mother and Croatian father – as well as a British-German stepfather – while she recently switched back to representing New Zealand having previously played under the flag of Switzerland, where she grew up.

Emma retrieved one of the breaks but her comeback was short-lived as Sun, who defeated eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in round one, powered her way to another break and then the set.

Emma was under pressure again at the start of the second but this time managed to hold on to her serve, with Sun, ranked 123, putting a simple forehand volley long on break point at 1-1.

Emma then had two break points in the next game but was unable to change the momentum, missing two backhand returns off second serves.

She hung on again in the seventh game but at least produced some of her best tennis to save two more break points.

Emma’s efforts in keeping her nose in front on serve were rewarded at 5-6 when Sun tightened up a little, missing an overhead and then going long on the second set point.

However, the mood changed in the opening game of the third set when Emma slipped while hitting a forehand, sitting on the ground shaking her head before calling the trainer, who worked on her left hip, leg and back, which she had been periodically holding during the second set.

Emma underwent surgery on her left ankle last year, as well as both wrists, after slipping at a tournament in Auckland.

She restarted in confident fashion with an ace but looked a little uncertain in her movement and dropped serve. 

The crowd tried to inspire Emma into another fightback but a double fault cost her a second break at 2-4 and Sun clinched a deserved victory.