Emma Raducanu has thanked fans and opened up on the reasons she was forced to exit Wimbledon on Monday night in an emotional statement
The 18-year-old Brit made history in reaching the fourth round, but had to withdraw midway through her match against Alja Tomljanovic.
She was trailing her Australian opponent 6-4, 3-0 after 75 minutes of play before she began clutching her stomach.
Raducanu appeared to be struggling for breath and was taken away by the medical staff, before it was announced she couldn't return.
The teenager, who is yet to sit her A-Levels, revealed that her failure to return was based on medical advice.
She said on social media: "Hi guys, I wanted to let everyone know that I am feeling much better this morning.
"First up, I want to congratulate Ajla on an incredible performance and I’m sorry our match ended the way it did. I was playing the best tennis of my life in front of an amazing crowd this week and I think the whole experience caught up with me.
"At the end of the first set, after some super intense rallies, I started to breathe heavily and felt dizzy.
"The medical team advised me not to continue and although it felt like the hardest thing in the world not to be able to finish my Wimbledon on the court, I was not well enough to carry on.
"I want to thank the people who have cheered me on every single match, I wanted to win so badly for you!
"I also want to thank the All England Club, my team, the LTA, my parents and friends. Last night will go a long way to helping me learn what it takes to perform at the top.
"I will cherish everything we have achieved together this week and come back stronger! Can’t wait to see what’s next on my journey."
Raducanu appeared on Tuesday's Wimbledon coverage to do an interview with Sue Barker.
She was quizzed on how things unfolded on Monday night and said: “I think that in the moment, I mean on court one, the atmosphere was just once again incredible to play in front of.
“I’m obviously very disappointed that I couldn’t finish the match. I really, really wanted to be able to compete and try my best.
“But the medical advice was to pull out and yeah, I followed it because I think that their advice was the best in the end.
“I found it very difficult to regulate my breathing, I think it was emphasised by some very long rallies that we had towards the end of the first set which made it tough for me to keep my composure and the breathing in check.
"Then the beginning of the second set was when I struggled with it most and I called the trainer on and yeah made the decision at the end of the change over.”
The 18-year-old went on to say that she was unaware what caused her breathing problems, but was confident she would be better off for the experience.
She added: "I think that it was a combination of everything that’s gone on behind the scenes over the past week,
“And an accumulation of the excitement, the buzz, and you know, it’s a great learning experience for me going forward.
“Next time, going forward, I’ll be better prepared.”
Wimbledon defended its scheduling of Raducanu's fourth-round match as the third and final encounter on No1 Court.
The earlier matches were lengthy encounters meaning she did not start playing the match for more than nine hours after arriving on site.
A statement read: “We were very 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 Wimbledon fortnight, and we very much look forward to welcoming her back to Wimbledon next year and in the years to come.
“In respect to scheduling, as always, the scheduling of the order of play each day at The Championships is a complex operation, and although we take great care when scheduling matches and allocating court 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 and our worldwide broadcast audience at heart.
"But the unpredictable nature of the length of matches and the British weather can and will cause disruption to any schedule.”
