Andy Murray's Wimbledon retirement tour continues as he plays mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu today - event though she is worried about missing the football
Andy Murray's Wimbledon retirement tour continues today as he plays mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu.
The two-time singles champion gave a tearful speech on Centre Court earlier this week as he said it was now 'too tough' for him to continue playing, after losing alongside his brother Jamie in his first round.
Murray, 37, had been forced to bow out of the singles on Monday with a back injury to the heartbreak of scores of British fans as he plays his final Wimbledon.
But the Scottish star - who underwent spinal surgery just two weeks ago - will still play his final match in the mixed doubles with Raducanu.
This is despite the 21-year-old keen football fan fearing their game may clash with England's quarter-final clash against Switzerland - as she admitted the scheduling was 'not ideal'.
Speaking after his defeat earlier this week, Murray said: 'It is hard because I want to keep playing but I can't, physically it's too tough now. I want to play forever.
Emma Raducanu for day six of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, where she will play alongside Andy Murray
Andy Murray (left) and Emma Raducanu (right) will play mixed doubles this evening
Raducanu has been closely following Euro 2024 and is eager to avoid a clash
Andy Murray was visibly emotional as the crowd paid a Centre Court tribute to the star earlier this week
Andy Murray during a training session yesterday, as he looked a fierce competitor for today's game
The Scottish star - who underwent spinal surgery just two weeks ago - pulled out of his singles campaign but will still play his final match in the mixed doubles with Raducanu
'I love this sport. It has given me so much, taught me loads of lessons. I don't want to stop.'
Murray is set to retire at the Olympics, but the All England Club chose the emotional moment alongside his brother to celebrate his legacy.
Sue Barker, who stepped down as the BBC's presenter of Wimbledon after 2022, returned to interview Murray on court, joking that she 'couldn't miss this'.
'It was obviously very special to play with Jamie,' said Murray. 'It was a race against time to get out here and physically it wasn't easy but I'm glad we were able to do it one time together.'
His wife Kim, his two eldest children, eight-year-old Sophia and six-year-old Edie, mother Judy and father William were among those in the crowd.
Murray and Raducanu will play China's Zhang Shuai and El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo later today.
The pair's partnership is a momentous one in British tennis history - Murray broke our 76-year wait for a Grand Slam when he won the US Open in 2012 and Raducanu became the first woman Brit to since 1977 when she won the same tournament in 2021.
Asked about the match yesterday, she said: 'I'll take direction, follow his lead, I'll have to do a crash course in doubles tonight, but I'll have fun regardless.'
Murray and Raducanu will play China's Zhang Shuai and El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo later today
The pair have been scheduled fourth on Court One on Saturday, leaving Raducanu fearing she may not be able to watch England's clash with Switzerland
Murray , pictured waving goodbye to Wimbledon as he nears the end of a glittering tennis career
Hundreds of fans gathered on Murray Mount to watch the tributes on Centre Court earlier this week
Raducanu continued to conjure memories of her stunning US Open win by defeating ninth seed Maria Sakkari to ease into the fourth round of her singles campaign yesterday.
The pair have been scheduled fourth on Court One on Saturday, leaving Raducanu fearing she may not be able to watch England's clash with Switzerland.
She wore an England football team jersey earlier this week in the build-up to her opening singles match and she has been watching the progress of Gareth Southgate's team closely, so much so she named them after her first round win.
'The scheduling of that was not ideal,' the British number three said.
'It's just an amazing opportunity to be able to play with him. It's something that I'm going to cherish.'
And fans fear that the clash could mean many are not able to enjoy the Scottish star's potential swansong Wimbledon match.
But tournament organiser Jamie Baker says England's Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland, which kicks off at 5pm on Saturday, means the scheduling team at Wimbledon will be 'reactive' in bid to avoid double-up.
'We just consider it one of the challenges going through the tournament,' he said on Friday.
Sue Barker came out of retirement to lead tributes to Murray, 37, after his doubles defeat
Murray's wife Kim and two of their children, eight-year-old Sophia and six-year-old Edie, were in the crowd on Centre Court during his speech
Spectators shelter from the rain under an umbrella as they wait to watch the action ahead of Murray and Raducanu's match
Some appeared jolly as they looked forward to the weather turning and a day filled with tennis action
A huge queue formed despite the lousy weather as punters were eager for the day's games
'It's not unusual. It's happened quite often. Andy and Emma will be on tomorrow's schedule definitely, but whether they get on depends on what happens today and what court depends on what happens tomorrow.
'Obviously Emma is playing singles today so again, a bit will depend on what happens with that result.'
Pressed more specifically on whether plans are in place given the obvious TV interest on the BBC to give prominence to both England's match and the Raducanu-Murray doubles, Baker accepted the fluidity of how long tennis matches run complicate things.
'The things that we have to juggle is that with the football matches we know exactly what time they are but with tennis matches you don't know exactly what time,' he added.
'You have to be a little bit reactive and we have a huge team of people who are very experienced so it's bread and butter for them those things.'
Murray was visibly emotional as he was shown a video including messages from the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on Centre Court after his loss earlier this week.
Fans gave Murray a standing ovation as the British star wiped tears from his eyes during his on-court interview with Barker.
A host of tennis greats were also present, such as Djokovic, Tim Henman, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and Lleyton Hewitt.
Spectators wait as rain delays play ahead of third round matches of today's Wimbledon action
Spectators queue under umbrellas as they desperately hope to catch a glimpse of today's games
Murray hilariously revealed he vomited in a taxi after his 2016 Wimbledon win, and threw up twice the first time his future wife came to watch him play. He also talked about 'almost blowing his chance' with Kim, who he married in 2015, when he asked for her email address.
'I don't remember much of that night,' he said. 'I had a few drinks. I did unfortunately vomit in the cab on the way home.'
On the first time Kim watched him live, at the 2005 US Open, he said: 'I vomited twice in that match, once right in front of where she was sitting and stood up and vomited on my opponent's racket bag.
'But she still seemed to like me so I knew she was a keeper after that!'
Murray spoke candidly about his Wimbledon triumphs, his Olympic gold and his defeat by Roger Federer in the 2012 final in his conversation with Barker.
'It's always really difficult to speak after a loss, particularly after a Grand Slam final and being at Wimbledon,' he said on the loss to Federer.
'That's the closest I had been and it was obviously difficult. It was quite an important moment in my career.
'I'm not saying I'm the most outgoing or bubbly personality, but I think people probably saw how much I cared about the sport for the first time maybe.
'Obviously it was an important match and important moment in my career.'
Tennis-lovers grin as they rest their feet at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Tourists wearing Union Jack ponchos and carrying M&S goodies brave the weather to enjoy the Wimbledon atmosphere
A few weeks later, Murray avenged the heartbreaking defeat by Federer as he beat the Swiss maestro on the same court to win Olympic gold at London 2012.
'Definitely to that point it was the biggest week of my life,' he added.
'To turn that around after losing in the final of Wimbledon and then to come here and play, it was one of my favourite days I've ever had, certainly as an athlete.
'To play in a home Olympic Games at Wimbledon, to beat Roger for once in a big match was nice and then I had a great run in the mixed doubles with Laura Robson as well so yeah, it was an amazing week for me.'
