Emma Raducanu hinted where blame lied for pulling out Wimbledon doubles with Andy Murray
Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Wimbledon mixed doubles, meaning Andy Murray has played his final match at SW19.
Emma Raducanu had already hinted the Wimbledon scheduling was a problem before pulling out of the mixed doubles with Andy Murray. The 21-year-old has withdrawn from the competition due to “stiffness” in her right wrist.
She’s opted to protect her singles campaign, which has seen her march through to the round of 16 without dropping a set, meaning Murray won’t get one last swansong. Despite her convincing performances on court, Raducanu took issue with how close her matches had been positioned.
She and Murray were set to be last on Court No.1 on Saturday evening ahead of her next clash on Sunday. Speaking on Friday, she argued: “The scheduling of that was not ideal. I mean, it’s just an amazing opportunity to be able to play with him. It’s something that I’m going to cherish."
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Raducanu said she’d had no input in the decision of the timing, adding: “No, I just came off the court and found out myself.”
The lack of recovery time seems to have been the decisive factor in her decision, which she confirmed in a statement on Saturday afternoon. Wrist injuries have blighted Raducanu’s young career to date, leading to her having surgery on both last year.
“Unfortunately I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist this morning, so I have taken the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles,” she explained. “I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy, but I’ve got to take care.”
She arrived for practice at the All England Club wearing an England home shirt ahead of the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland. “I’m having so much fun I don’t want to go home,” Raducanu added.
Her mixed doubles decision means Murray has played his final Wimbledon match. He was thankfully given a farewell interview with Sue Barker after he and brother Jamie lost their men’s doubles opener on Thursday.
Raducanu’s attention has now turned to Kiwi qualifier Lulu Sun, who’ll she face in the fourth round following her 6-2, 6-3 demolition of ninth seed Maria Sakkari on Friday.