Emma Raducanu faced criticism aplenty for her decisions at Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics
Emma Raducanu has shrugged off the backlash after her decisions regarding the Paris Olympics and Wimbledon stirred controversy. The 21-year-old British tennis sensation opted out of competing with Andy Murray in the Wimbledon mixed doubles over injury concerns. Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champ, was initially set to compete alone in the men’s singles and team up with his brother Jamie in the doubles at SW19.
However, he withdrew from his opening singles match against Tomas Machac and subsequently the entire tournament due to ongoing recovery from back surgery. The Murray brothers’ defeat to John Peers and Rinky Hijikata in the first round of the men’s doubles dashed hopes for a triumphant exit for Murray at what appeared to be his final Wimbledon appearance.
Raducanu’s subsequent withdrawal from the mixed doubles with Murray sparked a wave of criticism from fans who felt she had marred the tennis legend’s last hurrah. Raducanu defended her decision at the time, saying: “I didn’t want to take his last match away from him.
“But at the end of the day I think a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritising their body. I still stand by making the right call. He was obviously disappointed because it’s his last match [at Wimbledon]. But what a champion. I think that hopefully he’ll play in the Olympics and have another farewell there. I think with every decision, people are entitled to their opinions,” reports the Express.
Despite the disappointment, Murray expressed no hard feelings towards the situation, admitting he’s not bitter about the decision of the young player who chose not to partner with him, adding: “Everyone is going to look out for their best interests and what it is that they do. I understand that, and I don’t have an issue with that.
“Getting to finish playing at Wimbledon on Centre Court with my brother was unbelievably special. That obviously wasn’t how I’d planned it. That’s how it ended up, and I’m really happy about that. I’m not frustrated or bitter about it. I’m happy that I got to finish playing at Wimbledon with my brother.”
