Emma Raducanu on Sunday defended her decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles at Wimbledon which curtailed Andy Murray‘s career at his home Grand Slam.
Murray and Raducanu, Britain’s last two major winners, had last Wednesday announced that they would pair as part of the Scot’s Wimbledon farewell, but Raducanu pulled out on Saturday owing to wrist soreness.
Speaking after her loss in the singles to Lulu Sun, the 21-year-old defended that call.
“It was a very difficult decision,” Raducanu said. “Of course, I didn’t want to take his last match away from him. But at the end of the day I think a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritising their body.
“I still stand by making the right call. Obviously he was disappointed because it’s his last match. But, yeah, what a champion. I think that hopefully he’ll play in the Olympics and have another farewell there.”
While Murray has yet to announce an official retirement date, he has hinted that the Paris 2024 Olympics will likely be his final tournament.
Raducanu added that she and Murray, 37, had not discussed or considered the prospect of her progress in the singles competition affecting the partnership.
“I was feeling fine, then yesterday morning I just woke up with stiffness,” she said. “I have to prioritise myself, my singles and my body. I think it was the right decision. I stand by the decision. Obviously it was a tough decision, though, because it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.
“I think going into the tournament, I wasn’t expecting to make the fourth round. I would love to have played. He didn’t ask me: ‘If you’re still in the singles, are you going to play?’ That was never a question to be answered. Given how I woke up yesterday morning, it was for me a no-brainer.”
Reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon represented Raducanu’s best return in a Slam since her remarkable U.S. Open triumph in 2021, and she said after her exit that the positive signs in west London had re-inspired her — though she acknowledged there are areas of her game that need work.
“For sure there are areas I need to keep improving,” she said. “I think I improved a few things. My serve got better. I think I need to just work on the consistency of it, like being good every day not just like some days.
“Honestly, it just makes me more determined. I think I really put myself first in the last few weeks, few months. Tennis is the only thing that is really occupying my time, my mind. It’s all I want to do really. I think that that desire and fire is back. I just want to keep building on that.”