Andy Murray’s Wimbledon career over as Emma Raducanu withdraws from mixed doubles

LONDON – Andy Murray’s iconic Wimbledon career ended with a whimper on July 6, when his mixed doubles partner Emma Raducanu pulled out of the event, denying the former champion one last appearance at the All England Club.

Murray was due to have a final Wimbledon swansong with fellow Briton Raducanu after losing in the men’s doubles with his brother Jamie on July 4.

The 37-year-old is set to retire after the July 26-Aug 11 Paris Olympics.

Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion, and Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, were scheduled to play Zhang Shuai and Marcelo Arevalo on July 6. However, Raducanu withdrew several hours before the match in a bid to ensure she did not aggravate a wrist problem.

“Unfortunately, I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist. So, therefore, I have decided to make the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles tonight,” she said in a statement.

“I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy, but got to take care.”

Murray became the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years when he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final.

Emulating Fred Perry’s success was a cathartic moment for Murray after his loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final 12 months earlier. He erased that tear-stained defeat by beating Federer to win the gold medal in the London Olympics at Wimbledon just weeks later.

Murray lifted the Wimbledon trophy again in 2016, defeating Milos Raonic in the final to clinch what would prove to be the last Grand Slam title of his career.

Playing in a golden era for men’s tennis, Murray – who reached 11 Slam finals – was denied more silverware due to Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s stranglehold on the sport’s major prizes.

Injuries also played a major role in the former world No. 1’s decline in recent years.

After having a metal hip inserted in 2019, suffering ankle damage in 2024 and undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his spine – which ruled him out of the singles at the ongoing Wimbledon – Murray has been on a farewell tour of the grass-court Grand Slam this week.

Murray and brother Jamie were defeated 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers of Australia in the first round of men’s doubles.

The Scot, a three-time Grand Slam winner, was given an emotional Centre Court send-off in front of his wife Kim and two of his children following that defeat. He gave a tearful on-court interview in which he insisted there would be no change of heart about his decision to retire imminently.

“I know that it’s time now. I’m ready for that,” he said.

He will head off on a family holiday before preparing for the final event of his career at the Olympics, where he is entered in the singles event and the doubles with Dan Evans.

After beating ninth seed Maria Sakkari on July 5, Raducanu is due to play New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun in the Wimbledon fourth round on July 7.

She is aiming to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time since her remarkable run at the US Open three years ago.

Raducanu, who has struggled with injuries since her triumph in New York, was seen practising at the All England Club on July 6, before her announcement of her mixed doubles’ withdrawal.

She had said the scheduling “was not ideal” after her mixed doubles match with Murray was given a late slot, which would have offered little recovery time before facing Sun in the singles.

Also progressing to the last 16 is world No. 4 Alexander Zverev, who rode a marathon tiebreak to overcome Britain’s Cameron Norrie in a straight-set victory.

Zverev, the runner-up at the recent French Open, came through 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (17-15) – with the tiebreak taking more than 20 minutes to complete – to make the fourth round for the third time.

The 27-year-old German star needed six match points to seal the deal, while saving five set points in the third-set tiebreak. In a masterful serving display, Zverev did not face a single break point and clubbed 15 aces in his 52 winners.

Zverev, who has never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon, will face either American 13th seed Taylor Fritz or Alejandro Tabilo of Chile for a place in the quarter-finals.

In the women’s draw, Harriet Dart looked close to tears after letting a 3-0 lead slip in the deciding set against Wang Xinyu.

The British No. 2 was attempting to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Instead, it was China’s Wang who stayed composed to wrap up a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory in a rain-disrupted encounter. AFP, REUTERS