John McEnroe criticized for ‘harsh’ comments about Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon retirement
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Nothing much was going right for Emma Raducanu, Britain’s budding tennis star, in her late-evening match Monday on Wimbledon’s Court 1. Trailing Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 3-0, Raducanu retired because of breathing difficulties, a circumstance that prompted John McEnroe to speculate that she had been overwhelmed by the moment. And that opinion prompted swift and angry condemnation.
“I feel bad for Emma, obviously,” McEnroe, now an ESPN analyst who advanced to a Wimbledon quarterfinal against Jimmy Connors when he was an 18-year-old amateur in 1977, told the BBC (via the Guardian). “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 [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.”
Raducanu had sought medical treatment during the match and was having breathing problems and stomach cramps. Later, the All England Club announced that she had retired because of difficulty breathing.
“Maybe it’s not a shame this has happened right now when she is 18,” he said. “I played this tournament at 18 and in a way I was happy I lost. I was able to understand what it would take to make it.”
McEnroe’s comments, particularly the mention of Osaka, the 23-year-old star who withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon to concentrate on her mental health, were a step too far for many.
Christian Day, a former rugby star, tweeted that McEnroe sounded “like the ex player who now sits at the corner of the clubhouse bar and tells anyone who’ll listen that they’re crap compared to his day.” Broadcaster Harriet Minter wondered on Twitter “why this middle-aged bore [is] so triggered by this young woman” and went on to add, “Is there anything more annoying than a man telling a woman she’s not hurt she’s just emotional? No, no there isn’t. Please ask him to stop.”
Among those who were critical of McEnroe’s speculation was Raducanu’s opponent. “I wasn’t 100 percent [certain] what was wrong with Emma,” Tomljanovic noted, but added, “I can’t imagine being in her shoes at 18, playing a fourth-round [match] in your home country. For him to say that, it’s definitely harsh. I have experienced something similar. I know it’s a real thing. It’s not easy.”
On ESPN Tuesday morning, Chris Evert noted that she had the same sort of issue when she was playing in the 18-and-under bracket at Wimbledon. “I started hyperventilating and I couldn’t breathe as well on the grass courts,” she said. “I had to blow into a paper bag to get my breath. This week has been like a roller coaster for [Raducanu] and she’s a schoolgirl. she’s only 18.”
Raducanu’s match started late Monday, at roughly 9 p.m., and McEnroe as well as others felt that was a contributing factor. “I don’t think it helped that the previous match went as long as it did because it made her think about it more,” he said. “That’s a lot to take on, especially when you’ve never been there before.”
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A lengthy men’s match forced her match to start late and Ashleigh Barty, who was to face the winner Tuesday, had finished her match 6.5 hours before Raducanu’s began.
In a statement Tuesday, Wimbledon officials noted that tennis is a sport played without a clock and the tournament is also at the mercy of weather gods.
“We were 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 fortnight [of play] and we very much look forward to welcoming her back next year and in the years to come.
“In respect of scheduling, as always the scheduling of the order of play each day 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. All decisions are made with fairness and the best interests of the tournament, players, spectators … but the unpredictable nature of the length of matches and the weather can and will cause disruption to any schedule.”
Liz Clarke contributed to this report from London.