Emma Raducanu urged to accept John McEnroe's request despite Wimbledon criticism
Emma Raducanu was told to accept a meeting with John McEnroe despite the retired pro's constant criticism of her. The seven-time Grand Slam champion first sparked controversy for his comments about Raducanu when she retired mid-match at Wimbledon last year and has since been one of his harshest critics, but said he wanted to connect with her at Wimbledon this year with Express Sport readers urging the Briton to take the reunion.
McEnroe has been a constant critic of Raducanu, dating back to her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon last year where she stormed into week two as the world No. 338 wildcard on her debut, but took his retirement in the fourth round with breathing difficulties, as the American claimed the teenager couldn't handle the pressure.
She silenced her opponents, including the former world No. 1, when she became the first qualifier in history to win a major title at the US Open a few weeks later, but McEnroe continued to scrutinize Raducanu's performance in the year since her triumph as she has battled injuries and is yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals.
It then came as a surprise when he said he wanted to meet the world number 10 earlier this year, and more than half of Express Sport readers now think the 19-year-old should accept his offer. In a survey of 19,581 readers, 52.5% said yes when asked if Raducanu should accept the American's dating request.
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It comes after the 63-year-old revealed he never even had a conversation with Raducanu despite his comments about the US Open champion, and shared his anticipation of meeting the star of the tennis. "I'm not close to her. Actually. I've actually never spoken to her," he said at Wimbledon this year.
“I hope to have the opportunity soon because she is obviously a breath of fresh air. She is a very nice girl, a beautiful girl and she plays tennis very well. While the majority of Express Sport readers thought local Bromley should meet the seven-time Major champion, 28.5% were unsure while 19% thought she should avoid McEnroe.
The world No.10 is likely to meet McEnroe at the upcoming US Open, when she returns to face the challenge of defending her first - and so far only - title of her career later this month. Her preparations for the hard-court North American swing started well with a quarter-final in Washington last week, but took a turn for the worse when she lost in the first round in Toronto on Tuesday.
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Emma Raducanu was told to accept a meeting with John McEnroe despite the retired pro's constant criticism of her. The seven-time Grand Slam champion first sparked controversy for his comments about Raducanu when she retired mid-match at Wimbledon last year and has since been one of his harshest critics, but said he wanted to connect with her at Wimbledon this year with Express Sport readers urging the Briton to take the reunion.
McEnroe has been a constant critic of Raducanu, dating back to her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon last year where she stormed into week two as the world No. 338 wildcard on her debut, but took his retirement in the fourth round with breathing difficulties, as the American claimed the teenager couldn't handle the pressure.
She silenced her opponents, including the former world No. 1, when she became the first qualifier in history to win a major title at the US Open a few weeks later, but McEnroe continued to scrutinize Raducanu's performance in the year since her triumph as she has battled injuries and is yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals.
It then came as a surprise when he said he wanted to meet the world number 10 earlier this year, and more than half of Express Sport readers now think the 19-year-old should accept his offer. In a survey of 19,581 readers, 52.5% said yes when asked if Raducanu should accept the American's dating request.
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It comes after the 63-year-old revealed he never even had a conversation with Raducanu despite his comments about the US Open champion, and shared his anticipation of meeting the star of the tennis. "I'm not close to her. Actually. I've actually never spoken to her," he said at Wimbledon this year.
“I hope to have the opportunity soon because she is obviously a breath of fresh air. She is a very nice girl, a beautiful girl and she plays tennis very well. While the majority of Express Sport readers thought local Bromley should meet the seven-time Major champion, 28.5% were unsure while 19% thought she should avoid McEnroe.
The world No.10 is likely to meet McEnroe at the upcoming US Open, when she returns to face the challenge of defending her first - and so far only - title of her career later this month. Her preparations for the hard-court North American swing started well with a quarter-final in Washington last week, but took a turn for the worse when she lost in the first round in Toronto on Tuesday.
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