'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Teen prodigy Emma Raducanu made tennis history on Saturday as she became the first British woman to win a Major title in 44 years. The 18-year-old not only has the world at her feet after bagging her maiden Grand Slam title, but has also forced controversial journalist Piers Morgan into jumping on the bandwagon.
Piers Morgan had publicly berated Emma Raducanu at this year's Wimbledon, when the teenager was forced to retire from her Round-of-16 match due to medical reasons. Morgan had claimed then that Raducanu needed to "toughen up," which caused outrage amongst the entire tennis community.
Emma Raducanu, however, has made Piers Morgan eat his words in epic fashion with her US Open-winning campaign. Having come through the qualifying draw, Raducanu didn't drop a single set as she became the youngest Major winner since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon 2004.
Not surprisingly, Piers Morgan had to backtrack spectacularly when he took to Twitter after Emma Raducanu's victory. The analyst claimed that Raducanu apparently took his "advice" and learned how to handle pressure, and also asserted that tennis fans needed to "thank him".
"A bad day? I've been totally vindicated. She took my advice and won." Piers Morgan wrote in reply to one of his detractors.
"I said she needed to toughen up after she quit. She toughened up. The words you’re seeking are 'Thanks Piers'," the analyst wrote in a separate tweet.
Piers Morgan also tried his best to come off as an Emma Raducanu fan in the aftermath of her win, in what many are considering a complete U-turn from his earlier stance.
"BREAKING: Emma Raducanu wins the US Open. This is one of the greatest achievements in British sporting history. Congrats, Emma - you champion," Morgan wrote on his Twitter.
"Imagine if Emma Raducanu had taken Twitter’s advice & carried on 'bravely' and 'heroically' quitting and losing" - Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan then took umbrage at the tennis community, who had critcized him for his controversial take on Emma Raducanu's mental strength. Morgan claimed that had the teenager wallowed in self-pity after her Wimbledon retirement, she would've never won the women's singles title at the US Open.
Morgan had accused Raducanu of quitting during her SW19 encounter against Ajla Tomljanovic, but insisted on Monday that she finally realized that "winners don't quit".
"Imagine if Emma Raducanu had taken Twitter’s advice & carried on ‘bravely’ and ‘heroically’ quitting and losing… thank God she’s made of tougher stuff & realized that winners don’t quit & have to learn how to handle the pressure. That’s why she’s Champion today. Congrats Emma," Piers Morgan wrote.
Piers Morgan's posts evoked a strong response on Twitter yet again, with several fans deriding the controversial analyst for his U-turn.
Leanne Prescott, a football writer, asserted that Emma Raducanu had proven with her watershed success that Piers Morgan was "completely unjustified" in questioning her mental strength.
Another user named "Toby Firth" reminded Morgan that the internet never forgets, replying with a screencap of the analyst's distasteful tweet that had started it all.
