Emma Raducanu says she made the right decision to pull out of mixed doubles with Andy Murray in order to concentrate on her singles, even though she was beaten in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Sunday.
The 21-year-old withdrew from the mixed on Saturday because of a sore wrist, denying Murray what would have been at least one last match here before he retires later this summer.
“It was a very difficult decision,” Raducanu said after her 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 defeat by New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun. “Of course, 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. Obviously he was disappointed because it’s his last match. But, yeah, what a champion. I think that hopefully he’ll play in the Olympics and have another farewell there.”
Raducanu said she and Murray had not discussed what might happen if she went deep in the singles and might have to pull out.
“I was feeling fine, then yesterday morning just woke up with stiffness,” she said. “I have to prioritise myself, my singles and my body. I think it was the right decision. I stand by the decision. Obviously it was a tough decision, though, because it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.
“I think going into the tournament, I wasn’t expecting to make the fourth round. I would love to have played. He didn’t ask me: ‘If you’re still in the singles, are you going to play?’ That was never a question to be answered. Given how I woke up yesterday morning, it was for me a no-brainer.”
And Raducanu played down the significance of a post on social media by Judy Murray which said “astonishing” in response to the Briton’s withdrawal, a comment Murray later clarified as being sarcasm, adding that the schedule had been a factor. “I’m sure she didn’t mean it,” Raducanu said.
Despite her exit from Wimbledon, Raducanu said she has “got her fire back” and is determined to continue climbing the rankings.
“For sure there are areas I need to keep improving,” she said. “I think I improved a few things. My serve got better. I think I need to just work on the consistency of it, like being good every day not just like some days.
“Honestly, it just makes me more determined. I think I really put myself first in the last few weeks, few months. Tennis is the only thing that is really occupying my time, my mind. It’s all I want to do really. I think that that desire and fire is back. I just want to keep building on that.”
