The decision that sparked a firestorm.
Emma Raducanu withdrew from her mixed doubles pairing with Andy Murray on Saturday – at his last Wimbledon – just hours before their match together.
“Given how I woke up (Saturday) morning, it was for me a no-brainer,” Raducanu, 21, said regarding her decision.
The Raducanu camp claimed she felt “some stiffness” in her right wrist, which incentivized her to rest amid her surprising run in the singles bracket.
Murray’s mother, Judy, was having none of it.
“Yes, astonishing,” Judy wrote on X in a response to Sky Sports’ Marcus Buckland, who was reporting on the news of the withdrawal.
Raducanu’s pain only became more agonizing as she was upset on Sunday – 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 – by New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in the Round of 16.
Raducanu had been on her most impressive grand slam run since she stormed onto the scene at the 2021 US Open, winning the tournament as a qualifier.
Raducanu addressed her decision-making after the shocking loss to Sun, a qualifier ranked No. 123 in the world.
“At the end of the day, I think a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritizing their body,” Raducanu said. “I think with every decision, people are entitled to their opinions.”
Raducanu clarified that Murray had not inquire about the scenario when they agreed to pair together.
“He didn’t ask me ‘If you’re still in the singles, are you going to play?’ the Londoner said.
Judy’s tweet was brought up in Raducanu’s press conference.
“I haven’t seen her reaction, so I don’t know,” she said. “What was she sarcastic? I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”
The often-outspoken Judy later claimed that her reaction was sarcastic and alluding to the rigid scheduling of the tournament.
Murray, 37, was playing in his Wimbledon and was forced to withdraw from singles after recently undergoing back surgery.
He did play in men’s doubles with his brother Jamie, losing in the first round on Thursday to Australians Rinky Hijikata and John Peers.
It still gave Murray a touching moment on Centre Court, where he said said goodbye to the fans that supported him through an amazing career.
“I want to play forever,” Murray told reporters Thursday. “I love the sport. It’s given me so, so much. It taught me loads of lessons over the years I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it is hard.”
It was a career that was highlighted by winning Wimbledon in 2013 and becoming the first British born man or woman to win in singles since Fred Perry in 1936. He would win the Wimbledon tittle again in 2016.
Regardless of the drama, Raducanu emphasized that she did not intend for things to take a turn for the worse.
“Of course, I didn’t want to take his last match away from him,” she said.
