British wildcard Emma Raducanu saw her Wimbledon dream come to a heartbreaking end. She was forced to retire from her fourth round match after suffering breathing difficulties.
The 18 year old tennis player trailed 4-6 0-3 to Ajla Tomljanovic before calling on a trainer for assistance. She departed court for further treatment, but an announcement soon followed saying she would not return.
Tomljanovic will now go on to the quarter-finals to face fellow Australian Ashleigh Barty.
It was confirmed on Monday that Raducanu retired from the match due to “difficulty breathing”.
Tomljanovic offered her support, saying she felt sorry for Raducanu and wished her all the best. She says she wished they could have finished the game.
Needing medical assistance
Raducanu lost a tight first set, and showed hints early on in the second that something was not right. There were frequent moments of her placing a hand on her stomach showing signs of breathlessness.
At the change of ends, Raducanu called a trainer, and a second medic soon followed, appearing to listen to her chest. She was quickly taken off court, and a few minutes later an announcement came saying she was not fit to continue play.
Wimbledon comes only a month after Raducanu making her WTA Tour debut. The young Brit, ranked 338th in the world before Wimbledon, enjoyed a remarkable start to her first Grand Slam tournament. She was the last Briton left in the singles draws, following wins over top 50 ranking opponents, Marketa Vondrousova and Sorana Cirstea.
It was a life changing week for Raducanu, who was proving the success story of the championships, earning her support from thousands of fans. After her performance so far, she will now rank in the top 100s, meaning it is easier for her to enter high level tournaments.
Manic Monday
The day is labelled Manic Monday as all the men’s and women’s singles fourth round matches are played. This means capacity of Court One and Centre Court was increased to 75%. Raducanu and Tomljanovic’s match did not start until 20:00 BST, as they had to wait for the five-set thriller between Alex Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime to end on Court One. When they finally stepped onto the court, the pair were welcomed by rapturous applause.
The match got off to a good start, with Raducanu impressing with her strong backhands and fine baseline strokes. However, Raducanu failed to convert a couple of break points, before world number 75 Tomljanovic took advantage of her own next break point to win the first set.
This was the first set Raducanu dropped in the tournament, and things got worse in the second set. On her opening service game, she faced two break points, the second of which she could not save. The crowd continued to show support, cheering her every point, even though she was losing. But as it became clear Raducanu was unwell, the mood shifted to concern.
The court gave Raducanu an ovation on hearing she had retired, saddened by the end of her fairytale run in this way.
Thank you for reading Emma Raducanu pulls out of Wimbledon 2021
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