Andy Roddick slams Piers Morgan over Emma Raducanu criticism, Andy Murray says Morgan's comments were "very harsh"
Emma Raducanu's withdrawal from Wimbledon has stirred up a debate on social media, most notably between controversial journalist Piers Morgan and tennis stars Andy Murray and Andy Roddick.
Raducanu, 18, was forced to retire from her Round of 16 match against Ajla Tomljanovic mid-way through the second set due to medical reasons. And John McEnroe, who was covering the game for the BBC, claimed at the time that Raducanu couldn't handle the pressure of being in the spotlight.
Shortly after the Brit's retirement, Piers Morgan took to Twitter, claiming that the 18-year-old needed to "toughen up" and learn how to win. Morgan's seemingly tactless tweet rubbed many people the wrong way, and they themselves took to Twitter to criticize the controversial journalist.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray soon weighed in on the matter, calling Piers Morgan's take "very harsh". Murray also later insinuated that Morgan posting a quote suggesting there is no real pressure in sports was hypocritical, given that he had himself earlier applauded Italian footballer Jorginho's handling of "pressure" during the ongoing Euro Championships.
Here's a look at their exchange:
Former US Open champion Andy Roddick then entered the discussion, and the exchange between him and Morgan turned ugly almost immediately.
In an attempt to mock Morgan's performance under pressure, Roddick posted footage of the journalist angrily walking off the set of the Good Morning Britain show back in March.
"Didn't he just recently throw his toys, quit, and walk off set? As a grown up…That’s been in the business for a long time, that says everyone else is soft? I'm with Murray here," Roddick wrote. "Piers also seems to be in the attention no matter the cost business so this is on brand unfortunately."
Roddick's tweet clearly hit a nerve as Morgan soon issued a scathing response, bringing up the American's lack of Wimbledon titles.
"Hi mate, I’m talking to a Wimbledon champion (referring to his disucssion with Murray), so maybe sit this one out?," Morgan responded.
Roddick took that opportunity to point out that he had in fact been 'number 1' in the world at his job, referring to his ATP No. 1 ranking back in 2003. Morgan in turn brought up the difference in the number of their Twitter followers; Morgan has 7.9 million followers, while Roddick has 1.4 million.
Here's the exchange between the two:
"Felt like the hardest thing in the world" - Emma Raducanu on Wimbledon withdrawal
Emma Raducanu, on her part, revealed later that she felt dizzy and was advised by doctors to withdraw from her match against Ajla Tomljanovic.
"At the end of the first set, after some super intense rallies, I started to breathe heavily and felt dizzy," Raducanu said. "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."
The British teenager has received plenty of support from social media users asidet from the jibes made by Piers Morgan.