British tennis ace Andy Murray is reportedly ‘devastated’ following Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal from their Wimbledon mixed doubles match.
The 37-year-old has hinted at retirement after the Paris Olympic Games this summer and was compelled to abandon his singles campaign due to a recent spinal cyst surgery. Instead, he joined forces with his brother Jamie in the men’s doubles and was set to team up with Raducanu for the mixed event.
However, after suffering a straight-sets defeat alongside Jamie at the hands of Australian pair John Peers and Rinky Hijikata, Murray’s hopes were dashed as Raducanu pulled out of the mixed doubles citing wrist ‘stiffness’. This unexpected twist means that Murray has now played his last match at the iconic Wimbledon tournament.
PA news agency reveals that Murray is deeply affected by the turn of events. He had already delivered an emotional goodbye on Centre Court, interviewed by Sue Barker, but had one more match scheduled with Raducanu on Court One before her decision to withdraw.
Raducanu, 21, who has a history of wrist issues requiring double surgery last year, expressed her regret in a statement: “Unfortunately I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist this morning, so I have taken the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles.
She added: “I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy, but I’ve got to take care.”
Judy Murray, Andy mother, expressed her shock at Raducanu’s unexpected withdrawal from the competition, commenting on social media: “Yes, astonishing”.
Due to the tournament’s regulations, Murray is unable to continue in the doubles with a replacement partner, thus marking an anticlimactic conclusion to his final appearance at the All England Club.
In a poignant Centre Court interview with Sue Barker, following a video montage of his career highlights, Murray paid homage to his family and support team.
He expressed his gratitude, saying: “I’ve had incredible support and I think all the players here know that you can’t do this on your own. You need a team of people supporting you.
Murray continued to acknowledge the integral role of his team: “The coaches, strength and conditioning teams, physios. In recent years, surgeons unfortunately as well. I’ve had some amazing people working with me over the years. A huge thanks to them for supporting me through this. The last few years have been hard for me but I think hard for them.”
Reflecting on the challenges faced due to injuries, he added: “It’s obviously been hard for all of us. The injuries have been tough, quite significant injuries. We’ve worked extremely hard just to be on the court competing, probably not on the level that any of us wanted but we tried.
