There was always a strong possibility that Andy Murray’s Wimbledon career would be ended prematurely by physical ailment; the cruel irony is that, for once, it is not his own body that has let him down.
Emma Raducanu withdrew from her mixed doubles match with wrist pain, meaning the two-time singles champion’s last match here was his first-round exit to brother Jamie in the men’s doubles on Thursday night. The Paris Olympics will be the 37-year-old’s last event before retirement.
Raducanu practised on Saturday morning with a bandage on her right wrist and released a statement shortly after 2pm, saying: “Unfortunately, I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist this morning, so I have decided to make the difficult decision to withdraw from tonight’s mixed doubles. I am disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy, but I have to be careful.”
She is scheduled to play her fourth-round singles match against New Zealand’s Lulu Sun tomorrow, and there is no indication that her wrist injury will rule her out of that match.
Murray’s team are understood to be disappointed by the decision. Murray’s mother Judy recklessly described it on Twitter/X as “astonishing”. As Wimbledon is trialling an AI system to track online bullying of players, it seems reckless for Judy Murray to risk sparking a spate of abuse against a 21-year-old woman.
Andy Murray’s Wimbledon run is over after Emma Raducanu’s mixed doubles withdrawal
The British duo were due to compete together but Raducanu (right) withdrew due to wrist pain but are due to play their fourth-round singles match.
The news of Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal from mixed doubles caught the attention of Judy Murray, who called the decision “shocking” on social media.
It seems reckless for Judy Murray to risk provoking a wave of insults towards Raducanu.
Raducanu will no doubt feel guilty for denying Murray one last chance at Wimbledon.
It’s an unfortunate situation and Raducanu will no doubt feel guilty for denying Murray a final chance, but the harsh reality in this sport is that you have to look out for yourself. Raducanu’s match against the world number 123 for a place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals is a massive opportunity.
Raducanu underwent surgery on her right wrist last year and you only have to look at Juan Martin del Potro, Dominic Thiem or, more parochially, Laura Robson to see how persistent wrist problems can ruin a career.
No one appreciates more than Murray the importance of protecting one’s own body, or the fact that cruelty is not an optional trait for a career at the highest level.
He himself was 20 when he pulled out of a Davis Cup match in Argentina, citing knee pain, and even his brother Jamie joined in the criticism, saying: “It kind of affects the way I feel about him.”
For Raducanu and his team, the late scheduling of the mixed match (fourth on Court No. 1) was certainly a factor in their decision.
Finishing the match at 11pm (not something that can be ruled out) would have been a terrible preparation for a singles match the following day. Raducanu herself said the schedule was “not ideal”. So as the tennis world looked for someone to blame, some turned on the All England Club. But a look at the permutations revealed they didn’t have much choice.
With rain limiting play this week, there is pressure to play singles matches before doubles, and one of Murray-Raducanu’s scheduled opponents, Marcelo Arevalo, was finishing up his men’s doubles match yesterday morning, so they could hardly ask him to play back-to-back matches.
After her second-round win, Raducanu was asked if she had any doubts about agreeing to play mixed doubles with Murray. “For me it was an obvious decision,” she said.
Murray and Raducanu’s names are removed from the order of play at Wimbledon today after she decided to withdraw due to a wrist injury.
The saving grace is that Wimbledon decided to host Murray’s farewell after his men’s doubles match.
‘My team asked me: “Emma, are you sure you want to play? Just in case you’re still in the tournament?” I replied: “Don’t hesitate.”
So there was clearly some uncertainty in her team about the prospect of her playing three days in a row, even before the wrist pain. But can anyone blame Raducanu for jumping at the chance to be part of Murray’s swansong at Wimbledon? She felt she couldn’t turn down a chance to create memories that she said she would look back on when she was 70.
The good news is that Wimbledon decided to stage Murray’s big farewell after his men’s doubles match, rather than waiting for the mixed doubles. When we look back at Murray’s final match at Wimbledon, we won’t remember the mixed doubles match that never happened. We’ll remember the emotional conversation with Sue Barker on Centre Court and that long hug with his brother Jamie as the last light of day faded.