Emma Raducanu calls out Wimbledon chiefs after BBC handed nightmare situation
Emma Raducanu will team up with Andy Murray for Wimbledon mixed doubles on Saturday night.
Emma Raducanu called out the scheduling of her Wimbledon mixed doubles match with Andy Murray after coming off court and learning that they would clash with the football.
The British Grand Slam-winning duo have been given the last match on Court 1 on Saturday and will most likely play at the same time as England's Euro 2024 quarter-final.
It's also a nightmare for the BBC, with the broadcaster having the rights to the England game and Wimbledon. It means the football will get BBC 1 billing while Raducanu and Murray will be on the second channel.
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Raducanu is teaming up with Murray for his Wimbledon farewell. The 37-year-old is set to retire at the Olympics later this summer and has already confirmed that this will be his final appearance at SW19.
He pulled out of the singles draw but played the men's doubles with his brother Jamie. But they crashed out in the first round on Thursday night and Murray was subsequently honoured with a ceremony on Centre Court after the match. Their loss means that the former world No. 1 is guaranteed to play his last-ever Wimbledon match with Raducanu by his side.
But tournament organisers made an eyebrow-raising decision to schedule Murray's potential farewell last on the second show court, meaning that all of the attention will be on the football with the BBC showing England v Switzerland on Saturday evening. And Raducanu herself wasn't happy with the call when she came off court after her third-round singles match to see the order of play.
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"Yeah, I know. The scheduling of that was not ideal," Raducanu, who practised on-site in an England shirt earlier this week, said when asked what she made of playing at the same time as the football. "I mean, it's just an amazing opportunity to be able to play with him. It's something that I'm going to cherish."
The 2021 US Open champion was also quizzed on whether she had any influence over the decision but she quickly put the responsibility on the tournament. "No, I just came off court and found out myself," she replied.
The scheduling is far from ideal for Raducanu, who will have to return on Sunday for her fourth-round singles match against Lulu Sun - meaning she'll have very little time to recover in between matches.
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Earlier on Friday, tournament director Jamie Baker said those in charge of the schedule were considering the Euros when making decisions. But they also had to factor in Raducanu's singles match and the rain delays that cancelled play on outside courts.
He explained: "Andy and Emma will be on tomorrow’s schedule definitely, but whether they get on depends on what happens today and what court depends on what happens tomorrow. Obviously Emma is playing singles today so again, a bit will depend on what happens with that result. The things that we have to juggle is that with the football matches we know exactly what time they are but with tennis matches you don’t know exactly what time."
After taking aim at the schedule, Raducanu ultimately withdrew from the mixed doubles on Saturday afternoon after waking up with a stiff wrist. She will hope to be ready for the singles on Sunday.