England rugby coach Eddie Jones has stood by his comments about Emma Raducanu but insists that he never intended to 'criticise' the teenager.
Raducanu has failed to follow up her US Open triumph in ideal fashion, winning two and losing three games since collecting the Grand Slam crown, but her profile off the court continues to grow.
Jones recently warned up-and-coming Marcus Smith to avoid off-the-court distractions, referencing Raducanu's media appearances and brand deals, and his comments were widely criticised.
The England boss has since defended his comments, telling BBC Sport: "The whole point was how difficult it is for young players to cope with distractions.
"So the point I made was not wrong. I can't control if it's taken out of context. There was no criticism of Emma [Raducanu]. I have sent her a letter just to reinforce that and hopefully we'll see her at Twickenham shortly (to watch England play)."
Raducanu crashed out of the Linz Open to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu earlier this week and recently announced Torben Beltz as her new coach.
Ben Knapton
