Emma Raducanu has defended her decision to pull out of playing in the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon by arguing that many players in her situation would have done the same.
The former US Open champion agreed to pair up with Andy Murray for the event in what is his last appearance at The All England Club before retiring. After he lost in the first round of the men’s doubles, it was expected that Murray’s last match at Wimbledon would be in the mixed doubles until Raducanu pulled out on Saturday due to sureness in her wrist. An issue she first started to experience yesterday morning. Last year she had surgery to remove growths of bone – called carpal bosses – from her hands that were causing constant wrist pain during practice.
” 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.” Raducanu said following her fourth round loss to Lulu Sun.
“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.”
“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 theplayers in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritizing their body.”
Raducanu’s decision created mixed emotions among tennis fans with some questioning if she was right to agree to play in the first place given her injury history. Although she admits at the time she wasn’t expecting a deep run in the singles draw. Even though she reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open and then defeated a top 10 player in Eastbourne in the lead-up to the tournament. When quizzed about Murray’s reaction to her decision, she said he was ‘obviously disappointed’ but didn’t elaborate any further.
As for the remarks from Judy Murray, the tennis star said she was unaware of them. Judy wrote ‘astonishing’ in response to a tweet about Raducanu’s withdrawal and later insisted that she was being sarcastic. As a result, trolling took place on social media.
“I think with every decision, people are entitled to their opinions. Of course, there was a bit of a cloud around the decision.” Raducanu admits.
“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 (injury) history, I just had to put myself first.”
Following her defeat, Raducanu will head to America for the hardcourt swing. Her next tournament is expected to be the Citi Open in Washington.
