Emma Raducanu doubled down on her decision to deny Andy Murray his Wimbledon farewell by withdrawing from the mixed doubles, saying she had to prioritise herself.
Raducanu played it safe after waking up with soreness in her wrist, pulling out of her partnership commitment to Murray as she focused on her own singles push.
Yet Raducanu’s tournament ended last night in a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 loss to New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun, a fourth-round defeat in which she was seen clutching both her ankle and back with one medical timeout called after a nasty slip in the deciding set on Centre Court.
Raducanu had faced some criticism over the weekend, though Judy Murray yesterday claimed she was being sarcastic when she sent social media into a spin on Saturday by describing her withdrawal as ‘astonishing’.
Speaking for the first time last night, Raducanu said: ‘I have to prioritise myself and my singles and my body and I think it was the right decision. I stand by my decision.
‘Of course I didn’t want to take his last match away from him but at the end of the day, a lot of the players in similar situations would have done a similar thing.’
On how Murray took the news, Raducanu said: ‘(He was) obviously disappointed because it was his last match. Hopefully he’ll play in the Olympics and have another farewell there.
‘With every decision, people are entitled to their opinions. Of course there was a cloud around the decision, but I don’t think I would have done it any other way.
‘You have to make your own calls and prioritise yourself and especially with my history, I had to put myself first. Given how I woke up yesterday morning, it was a no-brainer.’
On Judy Murray, who initially fumed on social media by calling Raducanu’s decision ‘astonishing’, she added: ‘I’m sure she didn’t mean it.’