Emma Raducanu ditches wrist strapping day after pulling out of Andy Murray mixed doubles
Emma Raducanu has stepped up her preparations for Sunday's women's singles Round of 16 clash without wrist strapping.
Emma Raducanu ditched wrist strapping during practice just a day after pulling out of Andy Murray's Wimbledon farewell mixed doubles match. The 21-year-old pulled her participation from the competition after suffering from wrist soreness following her singles third-round win over Greece's Maria Sakkari.
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A statement from the Raducanu camp said: "Unfortunately I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist this morning, so therefore I have decided to make the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles tonight. I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy but got to take care."
The decision left two-time SW19 singles champion Murray's mum, Judy, furious. Judy Murray took to social media, hitting out at Raducanu, who will contest a women's singles Round of 16 match on centre court on Sunday. Murray's mum described Raducanu's decision as "astonishing" on X, before switching to Instagram to share a gushing tribute quote from the great Serena Williams about her son.
Raducanu was pictured in the rain on Sunday warming up with Liam Broady ahead of her match this afternoon against Lulu Sun. Their match is scheduled for 3.30pm. A first appearance in the Wimbledon quarter-finals is up for grabs for the home favourite.
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A Final Eight appearance would be a significant boost for Raducanu, who despite her youth, has had her fair share of injury struggles since her 2021 US Open Grand Slam triumph as a teenager. Raducanu had missed most of last season following surgery on both of her wrists.
Victory over Sun on Sunday would be Raducanu's best Grand Slam result since victory in New York. The Brit hasn't managed to get past the second round of a Grand Slam since making history.
Raducanu has spoken honestly about the pressure winning a Grand Slam so young brings, as well as the physical toll of high-end competition. However, she insists she feels reborn in 2024 and a healthy singles Wimbledon run could help set the tone for a lengthy, successful comeback.
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“Yeah, I feel reborn in a way. I feel fresh, I feel ready, I feel happy and I feel excited. Overall, I’m feeling positive and lighter," Raducanu said late last year. She added: "I think that for two years after the U.S. Open I felt maybe a bit more weight on my shoulders, but now I feel completely fresh.”
Injuries and Father Time are what brought Murray's competitiveness at Wimbledon to an end. The 37-year-old had hopes of continuing - but his body and mind are in two different places.
“I want to play forever,” Murray said after the game. “I love the sport. It’s given me so, so much. It taught me loads of lessons over the years I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it is hard.”