Andy Murray’s Wimbledon journey ended in an unexpected way when Emma Raducanu, his mixed doubles partner, withdrew from their first-round match hours before it was scheduled. She cited issues with her surgically repaired right wrist as the reason for her decision.
Murray, at 37 years old and a two-time singles champion at Wimbledon, had announced his retirement plans, intending to compete in Wimbledon and then the Paris Olympics later this month. Mixed doubles was supposed to be his final event at this grass-court Grand Slam.
Earlier, Murray had withdrawn from singles due to a spine cyst removal surgery on June 22. He also exited in the first round of men’s doubles alongside his brother Jamie.
Raducanu expressed disappointment at not being able to play with Murray, explaining, “Unfortunately I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist this morning, so therefore I have decided to make the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles tonight.”
Raducanu, who won the 2021 U.S. Open as a qualifier at 18, has faced setbacks with injuries, including surgeries on both wrists and an ankle in 2023. She is scheduled to play her fourth-round singles match against Lulu Sun of New Zealand on Sunday.
The All England Club honored Murray with a post-match celebration of his career after he and Jamie were defeated in men’s doubles at Centre Court on Thursday. The ceremony included a four-minute video featuring tributes from tennis stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Venus Williams.
Organizers had wisely decided to hold the ceremony after Murray’s men’s doubles match, anticipating the possibility that Murray and Raducanu might not compete together in mixed doubles. Due to the tournament rules, Murray was unable to find a new partner once the mixed doubles draw was finalized.
