If you’ve been watching Wimbledon for the past week and a half, you’ve probably heard about Emma Raducanu, the 18-year-old British girl who became the sweetheart of the tournament. Emma is ranked outside the top-300 and got into Wimbledon as a wild card. She battled her way through three rounds, impressing the crowds and getting a mountain of hype from the British media. She was scheduled to play her fourth-round match at the end of day on Monday, “prime time” under the lights on the second-biggest show court, with a British audience primed to root for her. During the first set, Emma looked like she was struggling to breathe, and she looked like she was in pain. A trainer was called on court, and Emma ended up leaving the court for treatment. Then the announcement came: she was retiring from the match and she would not be returning to the court.
During the medical timeout, John McEnroe – and other tennis commentators, to be fair – suggested or said outright that the pressure was too much for Raducanu, that she was basically buckling physically from the emotional strain of being so young and so hyped, being the center of attention on a show court at her home Slam. Then there was commentary about the commentary, stuff like “how dare John McEnroe say any of that.” In the end, what happened to Raducanu is still kind of a mystery (although it does sound like a panic attack). This is the statement she released a day after her retirement:
thank you for the support❤️ pic.twitter.com/C47TTvOQK9
— Emma Raducanu (@EmmaRaducanu) July 6, 2021
So that was the end of that, right? Wrong. Accusations were still being lobbed back and forth and people were attacking each other and taking sides. I wanted to avoid covering Emma because she seems like a really sweet kid. It also seemed like it was way too much too soon. I just wanted everyone to chill out and let her go home to see her parents and a doctor.
But of course irrelevant desperado Piers Morgan decided to make it about how Emma Raducanu is terrible, she has an awful athlete’s mentality and she needs to apologize to John McEnroe. That’s when Sir Andy Murray, feminist and champion of women’s tennis, decided he had time this week. Andy has pushed back on Piers- politely and firmly. He didn’t take Piers’ multiple attempts at baiting him. In doing so, Andy was able to take the heat off Raducanu (Piers is now too busy tweeting at Andy) and Andy is giving space to other men to push back on Piers’ blatant misogyny.
Think this is a very harsh take on the situation Piers https://t.co/rGuWC5ScDT
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) July 6, 2021
Does the article actually say that though? “Criticising young male athletes is fine” I’ve read it and it wasn’t my takeaway. I think criticising young athletes is fine by the way I’m just not sure what exactly she did during @Wimbledon to deserve anything other than praise? https://t.co/iiJc19HDvr
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) July 7, 2021
I think some of what he said was fair yes.. however the timing of it was a bit off considering nobody had any clue what her issue was injury/illness/breathings issues etc at the time of his comments.
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) July 6, 2021
PS… Andy Roddick got involved too. And then there were all of the tennis people talking about how Piers has spent years being unhinged about the Duchess of Sussex. This week was a perfect overlapping VENN diagram of my gossip interests.
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 w Murray here. Piers also seems to be in the attention no matter the cost business so this is on brand unfortunately https://t.co/mWY7FqJQBM
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) July 7, 2021
Fair play. I’ll have my seat. You can have your hypocrisy…….. I will say that between you and I, one of us was number 1 at our job. You’ve had your attention now https://t.co/WDe1veej2Q
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) July 8, 2021
Piers Morgan saying that Emma Raducanu cannot handle the pressure
Also Piers Morgan: pic.twitter.com/D6vGPDz1Sp
— dave ❄️ 🥕 🧻 (@davemacladd) July 6, 2021
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Judy Murray said it best, middle aged men should stay out of teenagers business.
Piss Moron still looking for attention, rejection is hard on dough boy, always on the outside looking in.
Piers needs to continually court controversy to cling to relevancy. His journalistic career (if you could call it that) has been dead in the water for years. He is nothing more than a glorified blogger and hate-monger, and attacking women and people of colour is a sure fire way to drum up the attention he needs. He is beyond pathetic at this point and has no legacy other than being a paid internet troll with an unhinged Meghan Markle obsession. His harassment of her and other female public figures is disturbing and shouldn’t even be legal.
Yes hes an internet troll
1. McEnroe sounded drunk.
2. He is a straight up misogynist. (Said if Serena played w/men she would never be ranked higher than 700)
The roof was closed as it was raining. I have been to Wimbledon a few times & when the roof is closed the air is extraordinarily heavy & it’s humid as hell in there. I’ve had trouble breathing & I was just sitting on my bum.
Emma’s smile was infectious & she won the hearts of all. Something that McEnroe never achieved. They had to wait all day to get on court & I’m sure it was nerve wracking. She is lovely & we will see a great deal of her in years to come. As for McEnroe, frankly I’m sick of him & his constant need to talk about himself . If he is going to commentate then do so, about the tennis match or the tournament at hand. Not you, not your career (you played in a completely different era) & certainly not speculation about an 18 year old who is younger than his own children.
Do better & put down the Pimm’s
As for Morgan, he is a prat & is only after attention. Don’t give it to him
Andy? Adore him. Such a rockstar (also his FIL is Emma’s coach)
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼➕💯, SnappyFish. Very well said. What’s changed about McEnroe? Absolutely nothing! On or off the court, he’s still a self-centered bully. And as to Piss Morgan, he is beyond irrelevant in is narcissistic need to think his diatribes have any value.
McEnroe’s commentary was okay a few years ago, not great, but okay. The last few times I’ve heard him, he’s been terrible: not saying anything useful or interesting about the shots, the players, or the match, but sounding smug and snide all the same.
Exactly right Snappyfish why is McEnroe allowed to be such a tool while supposedly providing objective sports commentary? He is a sexist jerk and needs to retire.
Edit comment is in the wrong place
@ Snappyfish,YES! I’m a tennis fan, not just the slams. I watch the qualifiers, challengers, and futures tournaments. Emma, did what Coco did in 2019, she played hard and got to the 4th round before her exit. Good for her! Piers should sit his obese self down and chill with a damn Pimm’s – that cool refreshing drink- that McEnroe should have put down before he opened his yap. He, of all players, should think before commenting on a player’s behaviour, demeanour, motivation, and mindset given his atrocious on court displays. Everyone loved Bjorn Borg, John. Same can’t be said for you.
@Tealeif..you are 💯 percent right! Spot on about John!! Loved Bjorn!!
Snappy fish, EVERYTHING you said!!! McEnroe has always been the same asshole. Piers isn’t fit to lick Andy Roddick’s tennis shoes.
So why do we need a pompous man like McEnroe to comment on women’s tennis in the first place? It’s the same way in women’s gymnastics. Tim Daggett and the guy from NBC constantly interrupt Nastia Liukin, who actually knows something about the women’s sport, given that she medalled at the Olympics, on the U.S. Olympics. Instead we get Tim’s banal impressions of Simone Biles and how perfect she is and how she makes it look too easy–“and that’s her only fault.”
I would love to see more women commentators in the sports world, especially in these 2 sports.
McEnroe is such a fucking hypocrite. He was one of the worst-behaved players back in the day–and now he’s thinks he’s a Grand Old Man Of Tennis who has the right to shame the rowdy youts. 🤮🤮 He consistently raises a million dollars worth of hell over Serena’s challenge calls and is in good part responsible for trying to trash her rep. Sick of him getting endless passes.
Thank you, for all of this.
YES to everything
Judy Murray was amazing and I am so proud of these men for stepping up and defending an 18 year old from the Piers Morgan and his misogynistic rants. There is never a wrong time to put Piers in his place and let him know his unhinged stalking of prominent beautiful women who would never give him the time of day (Cough the DOS) has been noted. He deserves ridicule. People who behave like he does deserve to be mocked and then ignored.
And Judy Murray would know, she walks the walk. She’s always spearheading initiatives for women in tennis, check out her work in Australia
I am actually going to do that right now. I think Judy Murray is my new prophet, as a mom to a son. This woman needs a talk show or podcast, immediately.
My love and admiration for Murray is directly proportional to my dislike and disgust for Morgan.
So I don’t follow tennis besides the headlines and what gets talked about here, so I saw that she was retiring from the match and there were breathing issues, but none of the fallout.
Something I don’t get in general is why is Piers burning so many bridges? Does he want to become the pariah who can’t interview a toad, because the toad won’t lower himself?
I mean, he’s just so petty and bitter. “Hi mate, I’m talking to a Wimbledon champ here, maybe sit this one out” – if only Wimbledon champs can talk then maybe Piers should STFU.
I imagine Morgan thought he was pretty safe, picking on a teenage girl. What an asshole. I’m glad they came for him.
I am too! It’s about time people start putting people like McEnroe and Piss into their places. Piss has been, is and will always be a troll to women and will try to inject himself into every commentaries and discussion, especially when it comes to women.
Bravo to Murray and Roddick who came to her defense!! Like everyone said, change starts with others calling out the bullies and the misogynistic assholes that attack women.
This.
I don’t think he even cares about burning bridges, he just wants the attention.
He’s such a jackass.
He’s just a contrarian. It’s spectacle in a click-bait-y world.
Andy Murray is a stand-up guy. +1 Andy Roddick.
I’ll eat that schadenfreude with a big spoon and love every moment of it.
HA! Yes. Me too.
OMG! That was a beautiful thing, them taking down Piers back and forth to any of his retorts and using his past behavior to do it.
Omg this made my week!!
It’s about time men stand up for what they stand and speak up. I admire Andy Murray for the person i’ve seen he is on the matter. Change starts like this. He is a true champion for is so is Roddick.
I agree. Change happens when enough people make it clear that it must. We need decent men to speak up alongside us.
If I remember correctly, he was the one who spoke up for Serena a few years back too
“Hey well known and accomplished athlete who is making sense- me and my ass chin are talking to a REAL CHAMPION sit this one out” Piers Morgan is gonna die mad about something completely unrelated to him, just a shame he won’t get on with it.
OMG, this. Morgan is the embodiment of troll – inventing situations in his head and then becoming outraged about them
“me and my ass chin are talking….”
LOLZ!!!!!
I usually don’t support personal attacks, but damn, this made me cackle. He’s just such a jerk, he’s pushed me beyond my limits of empathy.
You took me down, too.. I REALLY try to see all sides, and as a middle-aged woman, I really don’t love talking about chins, but I am with Tiffany. I have no empathy for Piers, not even a tiny little bit stuck to the bottom of my shoe.
Why is a 18 year old responsible for what other people say about her? She didn’t say anything about McEnroe or the critics or anything.
Sounds like a playground bully throught a teenager would be a easy target to mock-and now doesn’t like that everyone else isn’t piling on.
Andy Murray can get it – he’s an excellent example of why (and how) men should be feminists too. Every time he calls out sexist bullshit, an angel gets its wings.
Both he and McEnroe should stfu. My first thought at the breathing difficulties was what if she has Covid.
I am applauding Andy Roddick on that final tweet but I still think it was too good to be wasted on Morgan.
And kudos to Murray as well. The only reason we know about it and why Morgan is being seen as a creep is because Murray put it on Beyonce’s internet. Morgan just doesn’t get it and him getting burned gives me life.
I don’t know much about tennis but I’m always impressed by what Andy Roddick has to say.
Who asked for Piers opinion on a teenage tennis player? I think NO ONE. While I admire Murray’s response I kind of wish no one at all retweeted or responded. Shouldn’t he be suspended from Twitter for bullying?
I’m glad that Andy challenged Morgan on his bullying tweets about Emma Raducanu. He handled it with grace, respect and facts. Nothing that Morgan understands. And Andy Roddick stepping in was a nice cherry on top.
I really hope Morgan answers for what he has done to Duchess Meghan and the countless other women he targets. Lest we forget how he attacked Ariana Grande after the bombing attack at her concert in the UK. How he told Gaga that he didn’t believe she was raped.
He is a monster and he needs to be stopped.
I watched her match and the commentary immediately afterwards, given the week she’d had of course it crossed my mind that there might be an element of stress, panic attack, etc. at play. However, we didn’t know and as was also pointed out she’d been a bit winded after some long volleys early on and the pace/intensity of matches on the tour is a real step up when you start out. So I absolutely cringed when the male commentators jumped to the ‘pressure’ explanation (Boris Becker did the same in the studio straight after). Come on guys, it’s 2021, do you not see how you’re coming across?
I’m so pleased that Andy is still here saying things like this out loud. We need it.
Wow Andy Murray and Andy Roddick! What awesome examples of men being allies. There’s an unrelated clip of Andy Murray being asked questions about Americans in Wimbledon finals and how it has been years since an American player had reached a final and Murray corrected the journalist instantly by saying, “Male player.” I loved him for it. (Here’s the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOH-dCrV_XA)
I loved that comment too! 😍
He’s amazing.
Yes. Loved it. Murray stood up for what is right. Andy Roddick was passing by and decided to join in by basically punching that misogynist racist idiot in the nuts (or rather in the place where the balls should be).
I’ve come to expect Andy Murray to speak out against misogyny, which is something I wish I could say about more people.
“between you and I, one of us was number 1 at our job. You’ve had your attention now”
Andy Roddick does not mince words and I am here for it!
What a READ from Andy.
That’s some professional grade dragging. And the video 🤣🤣🤣
Team Andys all the way.
Andys for the win 👏🏻
Yes, so surprising and refreshing when men are feminists and stand up for women. I love these two guys and more men need to be like them.
Why is it necessary to harp on anybody about a medical condition? This could have been a mental health issue but it also could be an effect from a former or present covid infection, or a serious lung or heart condition. Doctors advised her to stop. Would Piers have continued at risk to his health? As others pointed out, he quit something FAR less strenuous. SM sites should have banned him LONG ago. I am so tired of those with blue checks by their name being allowed to spout hate.
Right? They went straight to pressure when there was no diagnosis. This seems to me like it could be anaemia but it literally does not matter. Her symptoms were dangerous and she likely would have passed out if she continued. And the medical advice was for her to stop. That was the right (and safe !) thing to do.
Half the world now has respiratory problems. You’d think we could be more sensitive about it in general.
YES YES YES yes Andy & Andy!!
I wish we could ignore Piers but that only fuels him & makes him escalate. A proper dressing down was needed, and served!
McEnroe is a poor choice to compare as an athlete. Doesn’t Piers remember all the tantrums McEnroe had back in the day? People hated him for it. He was known as the Superbrat.
Judy Murray is my new super hero. I don’t know what piss said but I know what Mc said. I stopped there. That poor woman apologisef which she doesn’t have to. People suck. Judy Murray doesn’t
A man sincerely standing up to another man over sexism? There’s absolutely nothing hotter. I mean, nothing. If I ever witnessed a man doing this, my only response would be “lay down I think I love you”.
But I have never witnessed a man doing this in person.
I nearly slid off the couch laughing at Roddick’s ‘number one’ dig at Piers. Andy buried him so deep there was no comeback.
As for Murray, just continued excellence in the way he calls out the BS. Dude has it down to a fine art. But has also shown the basics aren’t that hard to master if only more guys would try.
No you may not call us Piers… we ladies had a vote.
Yes we did!
The bottom line for me is. She was evaluated by the medical team and they determined she should not continue. So clearly they observed physical symptoms that indicated her physical health would be negatively impacted by continued exertion. Panic/anxiety can be accompanied by severe physical symptoms. It is a physical as well as a mental health condition. That’s the problem with McEnroe and others who just dismissed it as a lack of mental toughness or training. They were ignoring the fact that she was having a physical problem that she couldn’t just “push through” or “tough out” as they were saying. As for Morgan, he is flailing about trying to get attention any way he can. I think he really thought his tantrum in GMB was actually going to catapult him to greater opportunities. It hasn’t. It also is an example of his general toxicity and misogyny. If as he said he just thought the reaction to McEnroe was over the top. He could have just addressed that coverage. Instead he commented directly about Emma. He chose to defend the grown white man by attacking a young girl. McEnroe was the victim in his mind.
THIS is what we need more of. MEN calling this fool out on his misogyny.
Lest we forget, this is widdle baby Johnny having a tantrum at Wimbledon… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmJi_oc7t10
Piss Moron can go pound sand.
Piers Morgan is famous for his ability to hate. Imagine having that on your tombstone.
Piss is an expert troll. He really understands how to rile up people.
“irrelevant desperado” how do you do it? Kaiser, if I came up with even one of your epithets I would feel like a smarty.
There’s comorbidity between anxiety and asthma – and both are serious matters. I have to manage anxiety, and for several years had to treat asthma that was connected to it. Both are very real issues, not just for me but for many. And having run several marathons and being a powerlifter, I like to think I’m mentally and physically tough. Who knows whether anxiety was a factor for Ms. Raducanu, but no shame at all regardless.
Having trouble breathing? GET HELP SO YOU CAN BREATHE! Congratulations to Emma Raducanu for how well she did, and fingers crossed her health is good! She has a bright future!
When it comes to piss Morgan. All someone needs to do is press flush.
“I will say that between you and I, one of us was number 1 at our job.”
BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
GET. HIS. ASS.
A thing of beauty, that tweet . . .
This entire scenario is the epitome of karma Suck it, Piers, I only clicked on this article because it had Andy Murray in the title. And My God, Andy Murray continues to be the man I am going to somehow raise my son to be, even if I have no clue how to actually do that.
I hope my son will stand up for women too!