Andy Murray has played his last Wimbledon match after Emma Raducanu announced her withdrawal from the mixed doubles due to concern over her right wrist.
The pair had been due to play their first match on Saturday evening but Raducanu said she was pulling out to protect herself against injury.
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“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,” she said.
“I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy but got to take care.”
Under tournament rules, Murray is unable to pick a replacement partner. An alternate pairing will replace them instead.
The news is a huge disappointment for the fans and those with tickets for No 1 Court, who were looking forward to seeing Murray, in particular. The 37-year-old partnered his brother, Jamie, in the men’s doubles on Thursday and received a touching send-off, which included a video tribute and an on-court interview with Sue Barker in front of many of his peers, including Novak Djokovic.
Raducanu is due to play her fourth-round match in the women’s singles on Sunday. The late scheduling of the mixed doubles would have left her with reduced recovery time.
Judy Murray called the news that Raducanu was no longer playing alongside her son as “astonishing” on X. Andy Murray said on Thursday there would be no change of heart regarding his retirement once he recovers from his latest ailment, saying: “I know that it’s time now. I’m ready for that.”
Raducanu has been beset by injury problems since she won the US Open title in New York in 2021. In May 2023, she underwent surgery on both wrists, which kept her off the Tour until this January.
She plays Lulu Sun in singles on Sunday, and is understandably cautious about pushing her body too far having also had surgery on an ankle last year, keeping her out for eight months.
Murray will now head off on a family holiday before preparing for the final event of his career at the Olympics in Paris, where he is entered in singles as well as the doubles with Dan Evans.
Raducanu must hope the problem does not derail her Wimbledon run, with the 21-year-old now fancied to reach at least the quarter-finals.
There does not appear too much cause for alarm, with Raducanu hitting at the All England Club on Saturday, although she was pictured looking uncomfortable. She again wore an England shirt before the Euro 2024 quarter-final clash later on Saturday.