‘Experience caught up with me’ says Raducanu after Wimbledon withdrawal
Emma Raducanu has said she had to pull out of Wimbledon because the “whole experience caught up with me,” as Judy Murray hit out at “middle-aged men commenting on the mental wellbeing of teenage girls”.
The 18-year-old was forced to retire on medical advice from her last-16 match against Australian Ajla
Tomljanović on Monday night after experiencing breathing difficulties and feeling dizzy following some intense rallies towards the end of the first set.
After her withdrawal, BBC commentator and three-time Wimbledon
champion John McEnroe came under fire for his remarks. “I feel bad for Emma, obviously,” he said. “It appears it just got a little bit too much, as is understandable, particularly with what we’ve been talking about … over the last six weeks with [Naomi] Osaka not even here.
“How much can players handle? It makes you look at the guys that have
been around and the girls for so long – how well they can handle it. Hopefully she’ll learn from this experience.”
Piers Morgan was also criticised after tweeting: “As John McEnroe said, it all got a bit too much for her.” He later added that Raducanu “couldn’t handle the pressure and quit when she was losing badly. Not ‘brave’, just a shame.”
In her rebuke, Murray said on Twitter: “Middle-aged men should generally avoid commenting on the physical or mental well-being of teenage girls. They will never experience or fully understand that world.”
Her son and two-time Wimbledon champion, Sir Andy Murray, had also spoken out against the commentary on Twitter earlier in the day, calling Morgan’s take on the situation “very harsh”.
In response to comments made by Kevin Pietersen about “mental toughness” separating “the good from the great in sport”, Murray added: “No question mental toughness can be what separates the best in sport but surely both of you aren’t judging her mental toughness on yesterday’s match?”
The BBC said in a statement: “John McEnroe offered his personal view on the pressures that tennis players face, based on both his own experience and those of current players. He was sympathetic to Emma’s situation.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Raducanu said she was feeling better despite feeling disappointed that she could not finish the match. “I was playing the best tennis of my life in front of an amazing crowd this week, and I think the whole experience has caught up with me,” she wrote in a statement shared on social media.
“The medical team advised me not to continue, and although it felt like the hardest thing in the world, not to be able to finish my Wimbledon on the court, I was not well enough to carry on.
“Last night will go a long way to helping me learn what it takes to perform at the top. I will cherish everything we have achieved together this week, and come back stronger.”
Wimbledon organisers wished Raducanu well with her recovery. A statement read: “We were very sad to see Emma forced to withdraw from her match last night and wish her all the best with her recovery.
“She should be commended for the poise and maturity she has shown throughout the Wimbledon fortnight and we very much look forward to welcoming her back to Wimbledon next year and in the years to come.”
There had been some criticism over the scheduling of the “Manic Monday” match which, in a break with convention, was the last to be played on Court
One despite all the other women’s ties having been played earlier in the day ahead of the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
A five-set men’s match between Félix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Zverev, which was interrupted by rain, meant Raducanu and Tomljanović did not walk out on court until shortly before 8pm BST, although that did enable the contest to be shown in BBC One’s primetime slot.
Raducanu told the BBC she didn’t believe the long wait had contributed to what had happened. “I think that I was prepared to go out there whatever time of day I was required to. I was so excited. I didn’t find a problem with it at all.”
Though she didn’t know what had caused her breathing problems, she suspected it was “a combination of everything that has gone on behind the scenes in the last week and the accumulation of the excitement, the buzz”. Raducanu added that it was louder and hotter on Court One compared with the smaller courts.
The All England Club defended the decision to schedule the match last on Court One. “The scheduling of the order of play each day at the championships is a complex operation, and although we take great care when scheduling matches and allocating courts on a daily basis, it is not an exact science,” the statement continued.
“All decisions are made with fairness and the best interests of the tournament, players, spectators and our worldwide broadcast audience at heart, but the unpredictable nature of the length of matches and the British weather can and will cause disruption to any schedule.”
Having only made her WTA Tour debut in June, Raducanu has caused a sensation in the last week, becoming the youngest British player in the open era to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Her remarkable run means she will rise to a career ranking high of 175 from her current 338, while her earnings have increased by £181,000 and her Instagram following by more than a quarter of a million.