Emma Raducanu had no regrets over accepting and then withdrawing from a mixed-doubles partnership with Andy Murray, adding that she was not aware of Judy Murray’s reaction.
Murray and Raducanu were drawn to appear on Saturday evening in a Wimbledon farewell for the two-times men’s singles champion, less than 24 hours before Raducanu’s fourth-round singles match, which she then lost in three sets to Lulu Sun. Raducanu, 21, described that decision to pair up as a “no-brainer” which had given her renewed energy, but she pulled out on the day of the doubles match citing stiffness in her right wrist.
“I don’t think it was a mistake [to pull out] because I was feeling fine, then in the morning just woke up with stiffness,” she said. “I have to prioritise myself, my singles and my body.
“I think it was the right decision. Obviously it was tough because it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I didn’t want to take his last match away from him. But I think a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritising their body.
“Going into the tournament, I wasn’t expecting to make the fourth round. So for me it was a no-brainer. I would have loved to have played.”
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Judy Murray, Andy’s mother, seemed to criticise Raducanu’s withdrawal when she responded to a social-media post about the “astonishing” news with the remark: “Yes, astonishing.” On Sunday Judy said she was being sarcastic and blamed the scheduling as a “major part in any decision-making”. When Raducanu was told what Judy had said, having said she was unaware of any remarks, she replied: “I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”
After missing last year’s grass-court season after surgeries on her wrists and ankle, Raducanu won twice at Eastbourne — including her first victory over a top-ten player — and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for a second time, overcoming the No 9 seed Maria Sakkari in the process. There had been a noticeable bounce to her performances and media appearances, and she said she had rediscovered her love of tennis after taking a seven-week break before the domestic summer, ending her clay campaign early.
“I beat two top-ten players within two weeks, which is a pretty big deal for me, seeing as in the whole US Open [in 2021] even I didn’t play one top-ten player,” she said. “I have to take confidence from that.”
During the defeat by Sun, Raducanu was also suffering from a back complaint and received a medical timeout. “I woke up with a bit of a stiff wrist,” she said. “With the balls being quite heavy in the grass, it’s just something that I have to manage.
“I’ve been managing a stiff back since yesterday. I think it was just exaggerated today. I was feeling it during the match. Especially on serve it was affecting me. But I gave everything I had.”
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Sun, the world No 123, has come through qualifying and took to Centre Court magnificently. The 23-year-old will face Donna Vekic in the quarter-finals. “It was a great match,” Sun said. “I really dug deep to get the win. I really had to fight tooth and nail because she’s obviously going to run for every ball and fight until the end.”
