Emma Raducanu’s critics need to pipe down

Those taking a pop at tennis star Emma Raducanu for her last-minute decision to withdraw from a mixed-doubles match alongside Andy Murray – effectively ending his Wimbledon career – are out of order. It is not Raducanu’s fault that her pulling out of the match, scheduled for Saturday evening, brings the curtain down on Murray’s illustrious career at Wimbledon. The British tennis star is worried about a potential problem with her wrist (understandable given her injury record since winning the 2021 US Open), and decided to prioritise her upcoming match in the women’s singles.

It is perfectly normal for tennis stars to focus on the singles competition over the doubles and mixed doubles. It is unfair of Murray’s mother, Judy, to describe Raducanu’s move as ‘astonishing’. It is only fair to wonder whether Judy would feel the same way if Murray, a two-time singles champion at Wimbledon and former world No , had opted to focus on the singles at Wimbledon at the height of his career.