Emma Raducanu has received backlash for withdrawing from Wimbledon mixed doubles with Andy Murray, including from Judy Murray who labelled the decision as ‘astonishing’.Raducanu was announced to be competing alongside Andy Murray on Wednesday, in what is set to be the 37-year-old’s final Wimbledon Championships.However, after Raducanu matched her best ever singles result at The Championships by reaching the fourth round, she elected to pull out from their mixed doubles first round match yesterday.
In a statement released by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), Raducanu cited stiffness in her wrist as the reason for the withdrawal, “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.”
????️ Emma Raducanu “Unfortunately I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist, 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.” pic.twitter.com/M2mS6yk8JG
Raducanu is no stranger to wrist problems, after undergoing surgery to both wrists in April of last year that forced her to miss Wimbledon.
As a result, this means that Murray’s Wimbledon career looks to be over, after he lost in the first round of men’s doubles alongside brother Jamie on Thursday.
Following the announcement of Raducanu’s withdrawal, Andy Murray’s mother, Judy Murray, responded to a social media post and labelled the decision as ‘astonishing’.
Since publishing this on X (formerly known as Twitter), Judy Murray has privatised her social media account following some criticism to her post.
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) July 6, 2024
While Raducanu is not competing in mixed doubles anymore, the 21-year-old will look to reach her first Wimbledon singles quarter-final when playing qualifier Lulu Sun on Sunday.Inside the baseline…Although this was disappointing news to hear, Judy Murray’s post seemed very misguided considering the heaps of abuse that Emma Raducanu already receives. In a dream world, Raducanu would have played mixed doubles alongside Andy Murray, but at the end of the day she is a singles player with a real shot at her best ever Wimbledon result. This is even more relevant considering Raducanu’s recent injury struggles and Andy Murray has had to make similar decisions in his own career.
