- Andy Murray to play mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Emma Raducanu
- Raducanu is a novice in doubles but can’t resist the chance to play with Murray
- Murray withdrew from the singles due to fitness concerns but is keen to play doubles
Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu will be playing together in the mixed doubles this year, a sensational British duo.
That means Murray will likely play his final match at Wimbledon not against his brother Jamie in the men’s event, but against Britain’s other Grand Slam champion.
Raducanu, 21, has played just one professional doubles match in her career, but it seems she couldn’t resist the chance to play with a legend of the game in his final appearance at the All England Club.
It is only the second time Murray has played in the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon, after forming a superstar alliance with Serena Williams in 2019 and reaching the third round.
“I think the best advice is how he has always taken care of his company and how he manages his people,” Raducanu said of Murray on Tuesday.
“I haven’t talked to him that much. I think for me it’s like watching him operate day in and day out, watching him with everything on.
The pair worked together a bit and it showed Raducanu the levels she needed to match
“Even now in practice, he’s on it down to the minute. I think when I was younger, I’d show up maybe 15 minutes before practice to do a couple of arm curls, wave my hand around and warm up, and he’d be there for an hour and a half to go over it. He just sets really good examples.”
Murray was “proud” but also “extremely disappointed” that his Wimbledon singles career came to an abrupt end after he was forced to withdraw before his first-round match against Tomas Machac on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old left the court at 10.15am on Tuesday morning and spoke to reporters after an afternoon training session with his brother Jamie, with whom he plays the men’s doubles.
“I made a decision this morning,” he said. “I slept on it. I told my team and my family that I didn’t think I was going to play based on how I felt yesterday.
“I practiced pretty well. I played pretty well, but I just wasn’t happy with the way my leg felt.
“I wanted to sleep on it and make sure I was happy with the decision. I also wanted to give myself a chance to see if it felt better when I woke up this morning.
‘I did a little bit of running around at home this morning when I got up. It wasn’t where I wanted it to be unfortunately.
“Probably a few days too early, but I’m proud, I worked really hard to at least give myself a chance to play. Yeah, it was the right decision.”
Murray underwent surgery on Saturday, June 22, to remove a cyst from his spine.
‘It’s obviously incredibly disappointing that I couldn’t play, but where I am now, 10 days after the operation, compared to what I was told and what I expected, I find it absolutely incredible.
‘I trained with my brother today and I’m looking forward to playing doubles on Thursday.’
Elaborating on his decision to retire from singles, he added: “It wasn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. I thought long and hard about it. I practiced a few sets of singles and did well in those practices.
“I definitely wasn’t moving the way I wanted to, but it was still very competitive. It was about whether I felt comfortable going out there and not feeling like I could give 100 percent.
‘Doubles is a slightly different sport in terms of the physical aspect and yes, I’m looking forward to that.
“To get the chance to play here with Jamie will be special – we’ve never done that before. Hopefully we can have a good run.”
Raducanu is in the second round of the singles and will play against Elise Mertens on court no. 1.
She hasn’t spent much time with Murray due to her own busy schedule, but the two have spent some time together on the practice courts at Indian Wells.