Andy Murray's mother Judy says Emma Raducanu's withdrawal from mixed doubles that has ended her son's Wimbledon career is 'astonishing' - as one fan tells her to 'leave Emma alone'
Andy Murray's mother has called Emma Raducanu's decision to pull out of the mixed doubles at Wimbledon - ending his career at the tournament in the process - as 'astonishing'.
Judy Murray took to social media after the British tennis star announced she was pulling out of the competition hours before they were due to appear on No1 Court citing 'stiffness in her wrist'.
It means that Murray, who had been hoping for a swansong with his 21-year-old playing partner after being knocked out of the men's doubles and missing out on the singles competition due to injury, will not play at the tournament again ahead of his expected retirement from the sport later this summer.
The British tennis legend is said to be 'absolutely devastated' by the development, after he had a tearful farewell on Centre Court the other night where he admitted it was becoming 'too tough' for him to continue playing.
He had hoped for some form of redemption by taking part in the mixed doubles with Raducanu - who previously said it was a 'dream' to partner up with him - before the shock announcement, which has divided people on social media.
Emma Raducanu, pictured today wearing an England football shirt as she trained at Wimbledon, has pulled out of the mixed doubles
Andy Murray, pictured here training at Wimbledon on Friday, is said to be 'absolutely devastated' by her decision to pull out
Judy Murray tweeted that it was an 'astonishing' decision for Raducanu to pull out after it brought the curtain down on her son Andy's Wimbledon career
Judy Murray tweeted it was 'astonishing' after Raducanu pulled out of her match with Andy Murray hours before they were due to walk out on court together
In a statement Raducanu, who was pictured training in an England football shirt this morning, said: '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.
'I'm disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy but got to take care.'
After the decision was made public sports presenter Marcus Buckland wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: 'Astonishing news that Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from her mixed doubles match with Andy Murray. She's citing soreness in her right wrist.
'It means Murray has played his last match at Wimbledon. Oh dear!'
This sparked a response from Andy Murray's mother, Judy, who wrote: 'Yes, astonishing.'
Others online expressed their sadness that the two-time Wimbledon champion would not get a final match at the tournament which has loomed large over his career.
One person wrote: 'Our Andy had the perfect send off with his brother... but still a huge disappointment for him and everyone who has queued for hours to get tickets.'
Others leapt to Raducanu's defence, with one saying: 'Hope Emma doesn't get any backlash from this and I'm sure Andy wouldn't want that either.'
Another person responding to Judy Murray by saying: 'Leave Emma alone Judy. Have some respect.'
Following the news the Prince and Princess of Wales paid tribute to Murray, praising him for his 'incredible' career at the tournament.
They wrote: 'An incredible Wimbledon career comes to an end. You should be so very proud Andy Murray. On behalf of all of us, thank you! C.'
The Prince and Princess of Wales paid tribute to Andy Murray after the news was announced, saying he should be 'so very proud' of his Wimbledon career
There was some sadness online at the decision as people expressed their disappointment that Murray would not get one final match at Wimbledon
Some people on social media leapt to the defence of Raducanu, calling for people to 'have some respect'
The names of Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu are removed from the order of play at Wimbledon today after her decision to pull out with a wrist injury
Raducanu had previously said the scheduling of her match was 'not ideal' given it clashed with England's match against Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals and the night before her fourth round match in the women's singles.
The tennis star said on Friday: 'The scheduling of that was not ideal. It's just an amazing opportunity to be able to play with him. It's something that I'm going to cherish.'
And speaking after her victory over No 9 seed Maria Sakkari to move into the fourth round of the women's singles draw on Friday night, she revealed how she wanted to make the most of her time at the tournament.
She remarked: 'I think staying present in the moment is what got me this far. I'm not going to start changing anything.
'I was able to turn some scorelines in the game around, being 15-40. I think that's the best way for me to approach it. I think also for me to be winning that match against a top-10 opponent on Centre Court, it's a beautiful feeling and one that I really want to savour.
'Tennis is pretty brutal in the way you have to enjoy it tonight and then tomorrow you're already thinking about the next one. You can win the tournament but you can lose first round the next week. It's the sport. I'm just trying to cherish every moment I have here.'
She was asked after her second-round win whether she had any hesitation in agreeing to play mixed doubles with Murray. 'For me it was a no-brainer,' she replied. 'In my team, they were asking me, 'Emma, are you sure you want to play? Just in case you're still in the tournament'. I was like 'No-brainer'.'
The British duo had been set to compete together but Raducanu (right) has pulled out due to wrist soreness
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 was still set to play his final match in the mixed doubles with Raducanu
The withdrawal means Murray's last game at SW19 was his men's doubles defeat alongside brother Jamie earlier this week
But Raducanu on Saturday afternoon decided to be cautious with a wrist on which she had surgery last year.
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 especially to interview Murray on court, joking that she 'couldn't miss this'.
The Olympic 2012 hero had come back to play in the tournament just days after undergoing spinal surgery, making a brave return in the hopes he could see out his SW19 career in style.
It comes as he nears the end of a stunning athletic career - after ranking at world number one for 41 weeks and winning a stunning three Grand Slam singles titles.
He also thrashed his way to victory at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games - becoming the only male player to have defended a singles gold medal.
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.
'I love this sport. It has given me so much, taught me loads of lessons. I don't want to stop.'
He added that it had been 'very special' to play with his brother in what would turn out to be his final Wimbledon match.
'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,' he said.
Andy Murray's Wimbledon career is over after Emma Raducanu's mixed doubles withdrawal
Andy Murray was visibly emotional as the crowd paid a Centre Court tribute to the star earlier this week
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
Murray had cut an emotional figure after his and Jamie's straight sets defeat on Thursday
Centre Court paid tribute to the former World No 1 after the defeat by John Peers and Rinky Hijikata
Hundreds of fans gathered on Murray Mount to watch the tributes on Centre Court earlier this week
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 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.
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.'
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.'
