Emma Raducanu was all smiles this afternoon as she watched the women's final at Wimbledon - days after the 18-year-old British ace was forced to retire mid-match.
Raducanu joined Prince William and Kate in the stands to watch Australian first seed Ashleigh Barty take on world No. 13 Karolina Pliskova on Centre Court.
Pictures showed Raducanu waving at supporters and taking pictures from the stand this afternoon as the sun beamed on the highly anticipated final.
The teenager - who was caught in an online row over her 'mental toughness' - paid close attention as Czech Pliskova battled her nerves in the first set.
But the former world No. 1 performed an impressive u-turn as the second set began, playing well and giving her Australian opponent a run for her money.
It comes days after Gary Lineker, Andy Murray and Marcus Rashford defended Raducanu over her Wimbledon exit.
Emma Raducanu was all smiles this afternoon as she watched the women's final at Wimbledon - days after the 18-year-old British ace was forced to retire mid-match
Raducanu joined Prince William and Kate to watch Australian first seed Ashleigh Barty take on world No. 13 Karolina Pliskova on Centre Court
Pictures showed Raducanu waving at supporters and taking pictures from the stand this afternoon as the sun beamed on the highly anticipated final
Raducanu was forced to retire mid-match during the second set of her Wimbledon clash with Australia's Ajla Tomljanović on Monday, after she began to suffer from breathing difficulties.
Her withdrawal from the tournament saw tennis legend John McEnroe suggest that 'it got a bit too much' for the 18-year-old sensation and that she buckled under the pressure.
His views were later echoed by the former Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan on Twitter who wrote: 'McEnroe told the truth. Ms Raducanu's a talented player but couldn't handle the pressure & quit when she was losing badly.
'Not ''brave'', just a shame. If I were her, I'd tell my fans to stop abusing McEnroe, & seek his advice on how to toughen up & become a champion like he was.'
He added: 'Mental strength and resilience are not dirty words. They're good things that need to be taught, nurtured, encouraged and celebrated from school onwards.
The teenager (pictured before the match began) - who was caught in an online row over her 'mental toughness' - paid close attention as Czech Pliskova battled her nerves in the first set
But the former world No. 1 performed an impressive u-turn as the second set began, performing well and giving her Australian opponent a run for her money. Pictured: Raducanu watching the match today
Raducanu (pictured at the match today) was forced to retire mid-match during the second set of her Wimbledon clash with Australia's Ajla Tomljanović on Monday, after she began to suffer from breathing difficulties
'This would be immeasurably easier if so many high profile people stopped playing the victim.'
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen added: 'Talent is one thing, but mental toughness is what separates the good from the great in sport!
'Dealing with pressure, bad form, negative media etc is HARD, but that's sport. It's demanding. Deal with it, or someone else will deal with it in your place!'
Leaping to the tennis star's defence, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray slammed the comments made by the pair and said it was a 'very harsh take on the situation'.
He wrote: 'No question mental toughness can be what separates the best in sport but surely both of you aren't judging her mental toughness on yesterday's match?!'
Meanwhile Match of the Day host Gary Lineker said: 'Happens to the best of us, even those that aren't suffering from a possible injury or illness.'
Raducanu appeared to be struggling in the match against Ajla Tomljanovic on Monday
The former England striker went on to take a dig at Mr Morgan by sharing a picture of him walking off the set of Good Morning Britain.
Also rallying around the tennis star was England footballer Marcus Rashford who wrote on Twitter: 'It happened to me playing for the national team in U16s against Wales. I remember it to this day.
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