LONDON (Reuters) -Emma Raducanu withdrew from the Wimbledon mixed doubles on Saturday due to stiffness in her wrist, with the withdrawal ensuring partner Andy Murray will not get another chance to feature on court in his farewell at the Grand Slam.
The dream pairing of the only British players to have won Grand Slam singles titles since 1977 came about after Murray pulled out from the men’s competition before his match with Tomas Machac due to a back issue in the build-up to the major.
Murray had already been given a star-studded emotional farewell at the venue of his two Wimbledon triumphs on Thursday after the 37-year-old and his brother Jamie were beaten in the opening round of the men’s doubles by Australians Rinky Hijikata and John Peers.
Three-times major winner Murray, who had hip-resurfacing surgery in 2019, has said he is unlikely to continue his career beyond this year and could bow out at the Paris Olympics.
But the mixed competition was to have been a final tilt at glory on the grass. They were set to play Zhang Shuai and Marcelo Arevalo later on Court One.
“Unfortunately I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist,” Raducanu, who is into the singles fourth round, said via the social media account of Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association.
“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.”
Raducanu needed a wildcard invite from organisers to even compete at the grasscourtmajor as the 21-year-old’s ranking has plummeted to 135th after an injury-plagued 2023.
The former U.S. Open champion beat Greek ninth seed Maria Sakkari 6-2 6-3 in the third round to set up a clash with New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar; Editing by Alison Williams)
