Emma Raducanu revealed that she struggled with her breathing and felt dizzy during her fourth-round Wimbledon match against Ajla Tomljanovic before being advised to quit, saying, “I suppose the whole experience caught up to me.”
The 18-year-old established herself as a rising star in British tennis by reaching the last 16 on her debut at the All England Club.
However, she was unable to finish her match against Australian Tomljanovic on Monday evening, retiring following an off-court medical stoppage while trailing 6-4, 3-0.
Raducanu wrote on Twitter, “Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I’m feeling lot better this morning.” First and foremost, I’d like to congratulate Ajla for an outstanding performance, and I apologize for the way our match ended.
“I was playing the best tennis of my life in front of a fantastic audience this week, and I believe the whole experience caught up with me. At the end of the first set, after some extremely hard rallies, I began to breathe heavily and became disoriented.
“The medical team recommended me not to continue, and while it felt like the worst thing in the world not to be able to conclude my Wimbledon on the court, I was not fit enough to do so.
“I want to thank everyone who has supported me in every single match; I wanted to win so much for you! I’d also like to thank the All England Club, my teammates, the LTA, my parents, and friends.
“Last night’s experience will help me learn what it takes to perform at the highest level. I’ll remember everything we accomplished together this week and come back stronger! I can’t wait to see what comes next in my trip.
