"Have to prioritize myself" - Emma Raducanu defends 'tough' decision to withdraw from Wimbledon mixed doubles with Andy Murray despite 4R singles loss
Emma Raducanu has defended her decision to pull out from the mixed doubles event at the ongoing 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Raducanu was set to partner Andy Murray on Saturday, July 6, in what would have been the latter's Wimbledon swansong. However, on the day of the match, the 2021 US Open champion sparked controversy by announcing her withdrawal, citing stiffness in her wrist.
The former WTA World No. 10's decision polarized the tennis world. While some turned critical of her because her withdrawal resulted in an anti-climactic end for the legendary Murray's illustrious Wimbledon career, others opined that she had every right to prioritize her own singles campaign at SW19, as any other player would have done in her position.
However, Raducanu's high-flying singles form came crashing down the next day, on Sunday, June 7. The Brit, who had not lost a set going into her fourth-round match against qualifier Lulu Sun, suffered a stunning 2-6, 7-5, 2-6 loss to the qualifier. After the match, Raducanu was asked if she had made a bad judgment call regarding pulling out of the mixed doubles match with Murray.
The 2021 US Open champion stood by her "tough" decision, stating that she had to put herself and her singles campaign first.
"I don’t think it was a mistake because 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. It was a tough decision because it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do," Raducanu said.
The former WTA World No. 10 added she never intended to "take Murray's last match away from him". However, she opined that many of her peers would do exactly as she did if the need to protect themselves arose.
"Of course, I didn’t want to take his (Murray’s) 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," Raducanu added.
Boris Becker was among those who suggested that Emma Raducanu had wronged Andy Murray
Yesteryear great Boris Becker recently took to X to disagree with former ATP star Greg Rusedski's stance on the Raducanu-Murray saga. Rusedski firmly stood behind Raducanu, but Becker asked the British-Canadian to consider what Murray and his mother Judy would have felt after knowing Raducanu's decision.
"Why don’t you ask Andy or Judy, how they feel about this…" Becker wrote.
Murray's mother Judy became embroiled in the controversy after seemingly taking a swipe at Raducanu on X. However, she later clarified that she was only being sarcastic and could make sense of the 2021 US Open champion's decision given the awkward scheduling of her matches.