Emma Raducanu says she stands by her decision to withdraw from the Mixed Doubles at Wimbledon, thereby denying Andy Murray a final appearance at SW19.
The 21-year-old agreed to play in the mixed doubles with the two-time champion after he was forced to withdraw from the singles after undergoing emergency back surgery the week before the event.
However on Saturday she withdrew from the competition citing stiffness in her wrist – which was surgically repaired last year – meaning Murray missed out on the chance of a final appearance at the All-England Club.
Speaking after losing her fourth round match in the singles to New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun on Centre Court on Sunday evening, Raducanu told a media conference it was a ‘no brainer’ to prioritise her own singles campaign – one which she admitted had exceeded her expectations.
Sad scenes on Centre Court…
Emma Raducanu has exited #WIMBLEDON at the last-16 stage. #BBCTENNIS PIC.TWITTER.COM/WZYEOFZ3EJ
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) JULY 7, 2024
“I just woke up yesterday with a bit of stiff wrist,” she said. “With the balls being quite heavy in the grass, it’s just something that I have to manage.
“I’ve been playing on the grass for quite a few weeks now. I think I just had to prioritize my singles.”
‘I have to prioritize myself’
She claimed it had not been a mistake to accept Murray’s invitation to pair-up, adding: “I was feeling fine, then yesterday morning just woke up with stiffness. I have to prioritize 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.
“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, prioritizing their body.
“I still stand by making the right call.”
The 2021 US Open Champion – now ranked 135 in the world after an injury-plagued past 18 months – says she hopes Murray will be able to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics where he can expect another send-off.
She said: “(He was) obviously disappointed because it’s his last match. But what a champion. I think that hopefully he’ll play in the Olympics and have another farewell there.”
Raducanu said she was sure Judy Murray had not meant anything by her ‘sarcastic’ response to the news of her withdrawal, saying on social media that it was ‘astonishing.’
She added: “People are entitled to their opinions. Of course, there was a bit of a cloud around the decision.
“I don’t think I would have done it any other way. I think in this sport especially, as an individual, you have to make your own calls and prioritize yourself. Especially with my history, I just had to put myself first.
“Going into the tournament, I wasn’t expecting to make fourth round. So for me it was a no-brainer. I would have loved to have played (with him).”
