Andy Murray defends mother Judy and says has not spoken to Emma Raducanu since Wimbledon

Murray’s final Wimbledon ended abruptly when Raducanu pulled out of the pair’s mixed doubles campaign at the eleventh hour

Andy Murray revealed that he has not spoken a word to Emma Raducanu since she took what his mother Judy described as an “astonishing” decision to pull out of the Wimbledon mixed doubles and end his All England Club career.
The two-time Wimbledon and Olympic champion, who plays his last-ever match at these Paris Games, responded with a distinct froideur as soon as he was pressed on whether he had communicated with Raducanu during the two and a half weeks since her decision to withdraw. “No, I haven’t spoken to her since we chatted on the phone, when she told me she wasn’t going to play,” he said. “We’ve not spoken.”
His mother had stoked the fires when she described Raducanu’s actions, ending his Wimbledon career with a single Instagram post, as “astonishing”. Judy later tried to insist that her remark had been meant sarcastically, but Murray himself gave no indication the message had been misconstrued.
“It’s always important, in situations like this, to remember that at that moment, everyone is really emotional,” he said. “It’s the end of me playing at Wimbledon. For everyone, I’m aware there’s a much bigger picture out there. But she’s my mum. She cares a lot about me, and she has been a huge part of my career. Look at what had happened in the 10 days of warm-up – I had just had a surgery, I didn’t know if I would get the opportunity to play. Everyone’s emotions are running high at that time of year. My mum’s always going to look out for my best interests. She has been the best supporter.”
Asked if he understood the rationale that Raducanu, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, needed to prioritise her singles run, Murray replied: “Everyone is going to look out for their best interests and what it is that they do. I understand that and I don’t have an issue with that.”
He was adamant, too, that he found comfort in closing the book on Wimbledon alongside his brother Jamie. “Getting to finish at Wimbledon on Centre Court with my brother was unbelievably special,” he said. “It was something we never experienced in our careers. It wasn’t the way I planned it but that’s the way it ended up. I’m happy about that, I’m not bitter or frustrated.”
Murray, who has been struggling physically in the aftermath of back surgery, all but confirmed he would be forsaking the singles at the Olympics, choosing only to play doubles with Dan Evans. “I need to make that decision this evening,” he said. “Obviously, Dan and I have made the commitment to each other that this was what we were going to prioritise. I think Dan is still going to play singles.”
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Although Murray and his elder brother were beaten in straight sets in the first round of the Wimbledon doubles, he expressed optimism that he and Evans could contend on the Roland Garros clay in a competition that includes the all-star Spanish double act of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal. “Physically, judging by how we’ve been doing in practices, I’m more than capable of competing and doing very well in the doubles. In some ways, you could say that’s lucky. It has been hard the past few months.”
Having been told after his injury-enforced exit at Queen’s Club last month that he would not be able to play either Wimbledon and the Olympics, Murray has resolved to defy his doubters one last time. The Games occupies a precious place in his story, given his distinction as the only player ever to win back-to-back Olympic singles titles. “When you’re on your own on the tour, it is a little bit lonely, a little bit more stressful in some ways,” he said. “I just know that when I’m here and I’m around the other athletes in the village, it feels different to me. It feels more important.”
Murray gave the impression, at the British team’s base in Paris’s northwest suburbs, of making peace with the painful and complex decision to step away from tennis at the age of 37, A father-of-four, he said: “I feel good. I wasn’t sure that was how I would feel a few months ago, to be honest. I was unsure about it. But I had a lot of conversations with my family. I knew it was the right time and I’m happy about it now.”
On the subject of the void that tennis, the only world Murray has ever known, would leave in his life, he explained: “Initially, I want to be at home with my family. I want to spend a lot of time with my kids and my wife. I won’t be on the road much, I know that. I’ll play a lot of golf. I want to become a scratch golfer. I’ve always loved playing golf, but because of the issues with my back, I haven’t played for five or six years.
“I hardly played since I was 18 or 19, so that’s something I really want to do initially. I don’t know exactly what the rest of my life will look like, but I will still stay in touch with the sport. I don’t see that changing. My love for the sport won’t go away, so I’ll definitely see myself being involved in tennis.”