Piers Morgan hails Emma Raducanu for US Open win and reopens John McEnroe Wimbledon debate

Emma Raducanu eases into US Open quarter-finals

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Piers Morgan has lauded Emma Raducanu amid her sensational US Open run, describing her as a ‘champion’. The 18-year-old has reached the semi-finals without dropping a single set in her debut tournament in New York.

Raducanu defeated 11th seed Belinda Bencic in straight sets on Wednesday to secure passage into the last four.

After capturing hearts in her inaugural Grand Slam at Wimbledon in the summer, she’s thriving on the big stage again.

She exited at the quarter-final stage at Wimbledon, withdrawing after going a set down to Ajla Tomljanovic.

The outcome prompted harsh criticism from Morgan, who has since praised Raducanu for how she has bounced back in the United States.

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Taking to Twitter on Wednesday evening, Morgan credited the British teenager’s response to what he felt was failing to handle the pressure at SW19.

He tweeted: “To be fair to Emma Raducanu, she totally agreed with me and McEnroe that she didn’t handle the pressure at Wimbledon.

“No whining, no excuses. Brilliant to see her storm back better & mentally stronger – that’s what champions do.”

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Speaking on BBC Sport shortly after her Wimbledon withdrawal, John McEnroe compared it to Naomi Osaka’s absence over mental health struggles.

“I feel bad for Emma, obviously. It appears it just got a little bit too much, as is understandable, particularly with what we’ve been talking about over the last six weeks with Osaka not even here,” McEnroe explained.

“How much can players handle? It makes you look at the guys that have been around and the girls for so long. How well they can handle it. Hopefully, she’ll learn from this experience.

“I don’t think it helped that the previous match went as long as it did because it made her think about it more.”

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Morgan quickly backed up McEnroe’s claims and criticised Raducanu’s decision to ‘quit’ at Wimbledon.

He tweeted: “McEnroe told the truth. Ms Raducuna’s a talented player but couldn’t handle the pressure and quit when she was losing badly. Not ‘brave’, just a shame.

“If I were her, I’d tell my fans to stop abusing McEnroe, and seek his advice on how to toughen up & become a champion like he was.”

Raducanu has emphatically proved the doubters wrong at the US Open and is now semi-final-bound.

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