Ajla Tomljanovic hits out at John McEnroe for Emma Raducanu Wimbledon withdrawal comments
Ajla Tomljanovic insists John McEnroe’s comments were “harsh” after the three-time Wimbledon champion suggested Emma Raducanu found it “a little too much” in her first ever last 16 match at the Grand Slam. The young Brit withdrew from her fourth-round match due to medical reasons.
Raducanu’s brilliant Wimbledon run came to an end on Monday night with the 18-year-old pulling out in the second set due to breathing problems.
The Kent-born teenager, ranked 338th in the world but who will climb to 175th after this tournament, looked to be hyperventilating when being seen to during a medical timeout at 6-4, 3-0 on Court One.
She did not return to court and Wimbledon confirmed later on in the evening that Raducanu, who had earlier defeated the likes of 2020 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova and 45th-ranked Romanian Sorana Cirstea, had suffered “difficulty breathing”.
But McEnroe drew comparisons with Naomi Osaka, who did not attend Wimbledon and withdrew from the French Open due to mental health problems.
“I feel bad for Emma, obviously,” McEnroe said on the BBC. “It appears it just got a little bit too much, as is understandable, particularly with what we’ve been talking about this over the last six weeks with Osaka not even here.
