Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the mixed doubles at Wimbledon, ending Andy Murray’s career at the tournament. Murray, who is retiring at the end of the year, was set to play alongside fellow Briton Raducanu on Saturday evening. However, Raducanu announced that she was withdrawing due to “some stiffness” in her right wrist. She had advanced to the fourth round of the women’s singles with a two-set victory over Maria Sakkari the day before.
Murray, who won the singles title at Wimbledon twice, expressed disappointment at the news, as he was looking forward to playing with the 2021 US Open champion. The former world number one was not permitted to find a replacement partner under tournament rules, as the draw had already been made. Murray and Raducanu would have faced China’s Zhang Shuai and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo. They have been replaced by American alternates Rajeev Ram and Katie Volynets.
Murray made his final appearance at Wimbledon on Thursday when he and his older brother Jamie lost in the men’s doubles. A video tribute to Murray’s career was shown on the Centre Court big screen after the match, with thousands of fans expressing their appreciation. Murray withdrew from the singles on Tuesday as he recovers from a back operation he underwent on 22 June. He plans to retire later this year, with the Paris 2024 Olympics set to be his last event.
Tennis correspondent Russell Fuller of the BBC suggested that Raducanu’s decision may have been influenced by the tournament schedule. Raducanu was scheduled to play the fourth match of the day on Court One, which is equivalent to a night session. As Wimbledon is primarily a daytime event, the schedule meant that she would have spent all evening on site, interfering with her preparation for a fourth-round singles match the following day. While players often prioritize singles over doubles, this particular pairing was of great interest to tennis fans
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