John McEnroe received backlash for suggesting that Emma Raducanu found her last 16 Wimbledon match "a bit too much".
Raducanu was 0-3 down in the second set against Australian opponent Ajla Tomljanovic when she withdrew from the match due to medical reasons on Monday evening.
The Wimbledon wildcard appeared to be hyperventilating before leaving the court, and it was later confirmed by Wimbledon that the 18-year-old had retired from the contest because of "difficulty breathing".
McEnroe appeared to suggest that the occasion got the better of the British tennis star, at a time when her reason for exiting early was still unknown.
"I feel bad for Emma," the three-time Wimbledon winner told BBC. "It appears it got a bit too much which is understandable, particularly what we’ve been talking about this last six weeks with [Naomi] Osaka.
"How much can players handle? It makes you look at the guys who have been around, and the girls, how well they can handle it.
"People say: 'You were so bad on the court, you used to misbehave'. But yes, I was the norm. These guys who can keep their composure, and the girls out there, are amazing.
"We have to appreciate the players who are able to do it so well and hopefully she will learn from her experience."
His comments were not well-received by Raducanu's opponent Tomljanovic either, who described McEnroe's assessment as "harsh".
"I can’t imagine being in her shoes at 18 playing a fourth round in your home country “It’s something I can’t even imagine," said the Australian.
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"For him to say that, it’s definitely harsh. 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.”
"I can't imagine how she must be feeling having to pull out. Being down 6-4, 3-0, you can come back from that quickly, especially on grass. It's really sad that she had to do that."
Raducanu has still exceeded all expectations at Wimbledon and has risen up the rankings as a result of her impressive displays at the tournament
The Toronto-born teenager began the competition ranked 338th in the world, but will now climb up to 175th after defeating the likes of 2020 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova and 45th-ranked Romanian Sorana Cirstea.
