From Andy Murray to Marcus Rashford, British sports stars rallied to the defence of teenage tennis sensation Emma Raducanu on Tuesday, after suggestions that she quit her debut Wimbledon because she could not handle the pressure.

The little-known 18-year-old, ranked 338 in the world, was forced to retire against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in their last-16 match on Monday with breathing difficulties.

Former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe suggested while commentating for The BBC that the occasion “got a little bit too much” for Raducanu. Raducanu herself posted a message on Tuesday saying she was feeling much better, congratulating Tomljanovic, and apologising for the premature end to the match.

“At the end of the first set, after some super intense rallies, I started to breathe heavily and felt dizzy. 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,” she tweeted.

Murray said some of the criticism was harsh, referring to ex-England cricketer Kevin Pietersen who said successful athletes must simply “deal with” pressure.

Football star Rashford empathised with Raducanu, saying the same had happened to him in an Under-16 game. Tomljanovic also said criticism was unfair.