Over the course of the delightful, exciting past week of tennis, Emma Raducanu’s profile has risen from that of a young, obscure talent to a player billed as a future focal point of British tennis. She had handled all of the attention and subsequent pressure in her stride, but on Monday night the toll of her run finally showed as the 18-year-old was forced to retire from the fourth round after suffering from breathing problems while trailing Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 3-0.
As a result, Tomljanovic, who had channelled all of her experience into a poised performance during her short time on Court One, has moved into her first career grand slam quarter-final. She will face the world No 1, Ashleigh Barty, on Tuesday afternoon.
“I am actually really kind of shocked,” said Tomljanovic. “It’s obviously so bittersweet because Emma must be really, really hurt if she came to the decision to retire. To play as a Brit at home, it’s unbelievable so I am really sorry for her because I wish we could have finished it. It’s sport – it happens – but I am really wishing her all the best.”
Despite the fact that Barty finished her straight sets win over Barbora Krejcikova by 2.42pm, Raducanu and Tomljanovic were forced to wait until 8pm to take to the court after it was decided, probably due to the broadcasters’ preferences, that their fourth round match would be scheduled as the third game on court during prime time hours.
After a long day of waiting, both players opened the match visibly affected by nerves. Before this year’s grass season, Raducanu had never played in any tour level tournament. She has paved her way deep into the draw with no reference point and despite her uninhibited run through the tournament, it was inevitable that the demands of the week would eventually show.
As Raducanu tried to seize a first unexpected chance, for Tomljanovic this was an opportunity that may never come again. This marked only the second time in her career that she had reached the last 16 of a grand slam event. In her first attempt, she was ranked 57 spots below her top 20 opponent, Carla Suárez-Navarro, and was beaten by a better opponent. Here Tomljanovic stood against an opponent ranked 263 places below her, one of the great opportunities of her life.
Throughout the first five games of the match, the pair combined to strike 17 unforced errors, including six double faults, and not a single winner between them. But it was Raducanu who constantly looked to take control of the match. Down 2-3, she struck the first winner of the match with a crushing forehand down the line and, as she pumped her fists and barked at herself to “fight”, she generated break points at 3-3 and 4-4.
As the match went on, however, Tomljanovic finally began to take control of the exchanges, unfurling her big forehand and directing the first bout of sustained pressure on Raducanu’s forehand. Tomljanovic took the first break of the match and with it the set, forcing a forehand error from Raducanu. The Australian then quickly breezed through the serve to take a 3-0 lead in the second set as Raducanu’s resistance waned.
After doubling over towards the end of the first set following some long points, Raducanu called the tournament medical staff for what initially appeared to be a stomach problem. As the medical staff assessed her, Raducanu then appeared to have some breathing problems, with the on-court microphones picking up the medical staff telling her: “Take deep breaths, you can do it. You’re OK.”
Shortly after speaking with the medical staff, Raducanu was escorted off the court for a medical timeout. Around five minutes later, the umpire, Aurélie Tourte, announced that Raducanu would not be able to continue the match and that Tomljanovic had advanced to the quarter-finals.
“I think the beginning was really nervous from both sides, I think towards the end of that first set we started really playing some good tennis and I felt like I found my groove,” said Tomljanovic. “In the second set, I felt like I was playing well but then Emma was hurt and wasn’t at her best. It now kind of explains it.”
Over the past week, Raducanu has become the youngest British player in the Open era to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon, she will rise to a new career high of 175 from her current 338 and she has earned £181,000 for her run to the fourth round after earning less than £30,000 in her career. But for now, the focus will be on ensuring that she heals swiftly and she can return to competition as soon as she is ready.
