Caught in the brutal intersection of sport and prime time entertainment, and totally unprepared for it, Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon adventure ended in tears on Monday night.
The 18-year-old from Kent was forced to retire from her fourth round match against Ajla Tomljanovic at 6-4, 3-0 down, in some distress.
It was the most dramatic turnaround from the smiles which accompanied her run to the fourth round. The teenager appeared to be struggling with her breathing as she sat down at the changeover.
She was led off court and, following an assessment that took several minutes, Assistant Referee Denise Parnell came back out to give the news that the breakout star of SW19 would not be returning.
Emma Raducanu had to be taken off the court by medics after appearing to struggle breathing
Raducanu’s departure immediately sparked concerns that the match would not continue
The teenager struggled to hide her emotions as the medics made their way onto court
An official soon emerged onto court to inform Ajla Tomljanovic (left) and the match umpire that the 18-year-old British rising star would not be able to continue playing on Court 1
It cannot have helped that Raducanu was placed third match on, with Wimbledon controversially abandoning its usual policy of scheduling all the women’s fourth rounds no later than second on the programme.
This has been done in the past on the second Monday to ensure fairness in terms of rest, as the female quarter finals are played on Tuesday.
The attraction of breaking with this was obvious – the prime early evening slot giving more fans and viewers the chance to watch someone who has enchanted the All England Club as the fresh new face of British tennis.
Yet at the same time tennis needs to be careful with its young talent, thrust into the bright white light of public attention due to the Grand Slams’ popularity. The recent travails of Naomi Osaka have brought the issue into focus.
Towards the end of the first set it quickly became clear Raducanu was struggling out there
The Bromley star battled valiantly and shocked Tomljanovic on multiple occasions in set one
Raducanu would not be the first player to become overwrought on court in the heat of a one-on-one battle.
John McEnroe drew some criticism for his immediate take on the BBC, who in conjunction with Wimbledon have enjoyed the ratings secured by British players like Andy Murray in the tournament.
‘It appears like it just got too much, which is understandable. I played this tournament at 18 and in a way I was happy I lost,’ he said, although he did add that he ‘felt bad’ for Raducanu and that it was a shame she had to stop.
Unfortunately nothing could have prepared the youngster for a week that saw her go from someone unknown beyond tennis cognoscenti to a national sweetheart.
She has played sparingly in the professional game, and her relatively sparse outings have mostly come in remote outposts of the sport in small tournaments with a smattering of spectators.
This will be a harsh lesson learned, and Raducanu’s life will not be the same again.
Swimming in deeper waters than she has ever been in before, she had shown the raw potential which suggests she could thrill fans at the All England Club and elsewhere for many years to come.
Fears soon mounted after Raducanu started to regularly clutch her chest between points
Raducanu’s mother Renee (centre) watched concerned as her daughter had to leave the court
She can now depart and further hone a game that made a mockery of her ranking of 338. The big challenge comes when she tries to translate this onto other surfaces, but it will help to be oceans away from the pressure of performing at home before an expectant crowd.
Tomljanovic had sympathy afterwards, saying: ‘I am actually really shocked. It is bittersweet because Emma must be really hurt to come to a decision to retire. I am really sorry for her. I wish we could have finished.’
She inferred that she had heard the emotion of the occasion was connected to the retirement: ‘I have experienced something similar but not to that extent. I know that it’s a real thing. I’ve spoken to athletes that have gone through that. It’s not easy. When I heard the reasoning, I almost felt worse about it because I know how bad that can feel.’
By the time the two players walked on court it was 7.53pm, with the other women’s singles contests long since completed.
That would allow the seven other quarter finalists better preparation for the Tuesday schedule. The player who would face the winner, Ash Barty, completed her win over French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova at 2.42pm.
While the preceding match on Court One involving Alex Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime did go relatively slowly for a grass court encounter, given that they have a day off before the quarter finals it would have been more equitable to put them on last.
Tomljanovic spoke graciously at the premature end and expressed her concern for Raducanu
An all Australian quarter-final is now set up with Tomljanovic to face world No 1 Ashleigh Barty
Tomljanovic’s boyfriend, Italian Matteo Berrettini, was long since able to put his feet up as he had finished at lunchtime, although he loyally stayed on to watch his partner.
In the 75th-ranked Australian’s favour was her greater experience of dealing with the long waits that can occur at tournaments, especially those with complex schedules, and it showed.
An enthusiastic crowd was keen to get behind the Kent player as she began to settle after a nervy start. The air was thick with expectation and the dome effect only added to the volume.
Raducanu overpressed a little in a desperately tight first set, but seemed to be getting the upper hand. She had created three break points when she was suddenly broken to lose the set.
She lost energy prior to the sad denouement, which showed that tennis, for all its ancient garden party image, is unforgiving combat.
Scroll down below to re-live how all the action unfolded with Sportsmail’s Danny Gallagher, who provided live Wimbledon coverage from court one as Emma Raducanu sadly bowed out to Ajla Tomljanovic on medical grounds.