Emma Raducanu said she stands by her decision withdraw from their scheduled mixed doubles match with Andy Murray, even though the controversy cast what she called “a cloud” over her weekend at Wimbledon.
Raducanu She had originally expressed great enthusiasm for the collaboration with Murray after he invited her to play with him in a text message late on Tuesday night.
But on Saturday afternoon, Raducanu’s management team announced that She withdrew from the mixed doubles draw With a stiff right wrist, it seemed likely she was also concerned about the awkward scheduling of the doubles at the end of a long program on Court No. 1, which could have kept her at the All England Club until after 10 p.m.
In the end, Raducanu lost her fourth round match to Lulu Sun, world number 123, on SundayBut that did not lead to any retrospective change of opinion.
“I still think I made the right decision,” Raducanu told reporters after her loss. “It was a very difficult decision. Of course, I didn’t want to take away his last match, but in the end I think a lot of players in a similar situation would have done the same.”
Asked how Murray had reacted, Raducanu said: “Obviously he was disappointed because it was his last match. But yeah, what a champion. I think I hope he plays at the Olympics and has another farewell there.”
She admitted that “there was a little bit of uncertainty around the decision (to retire from mixed doubles).” But then added: “I don’t think I would have done it any other way. I think in this sport especially, as an individual, you have to make your own decisions and prioritise yourself. Especially with my history, I just had to put myself first.”
“When I started the tournament I didn’t expect to make it to the fourth round, so for me it was an obvious decision (to accept). I would have loved to play. He didn’t ask me: ‘If you’re still in singles, are you going to play?’ That was a question I never had to answer.”
Regarding the controversial verdict that Judy Murray had posted on social media, Calling the withdrawal “surprising”Raducanu said she knew nothing about the post. When it was explained to her, she replied: “I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
Asked to explain the reason for her withdrawal, Raducanu explained: “Yesterday I woke up with a bit of stiffness in my wrist. Because the balls are quite heavy on grass, it’s something I have to manage. I’ve been playing on grass for a few weeks now. I think I just had to prioritise my singles.”
Earlier on Sunday, Judy Murray had said that The publication was not meant to be taken seriously.Shortly after making his statement, which appeared as a response to a post by veteran tennis commentator Marcus Buckland, he blocked access to his posts on X. The response to his message was not warm.
But on Sunday morning she reactivated her profile and tweeted: “I’m not sure anyone understands sarcasm these days. I’m pretty sure the schedule (fourth match on Court 1 with singles matches the following day) will have played a big part in any decision-making.”
This time, I had disabled replies so that there would be no more negative reactions.