Andy Murray clarifies Emma Raducanu relationship after Wimbledon mixed doubles controversy
Andy Murray has revealed he has “cleared everything up” with Emma Raducanu after their mixed doubles controversy at Wimbledon last year, while revealing he would never publicly criticise his compatriot.
Former world No 1 Murray and 2021 US Open champion Raducanu have been two of the leading British sports stars of their respective generation, and are the only players from their country in the 21st Century to win a Grand Slam singles title.
In what was Murray’s last Grand Slam appearance, the two were initially set to compete in the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon back in 2024, before Raducanu withdrew on the day of their match due to her ongoing singles campaign.
With rules stating that Murray could not pick another partner, the three-time Grand Slam singles champion saw his Wimbledon career come to an end, having withdrawn from the singles and been beaten alongside brother Jamie in the doubles.
Raducanu’s decision raised many eyebrows, and Murray’s mother, Judy, was forced to clarify what had appeared at first glance to be a critical social media post.
The withdrawal brought an underwhelming end to Murray’s Wimbledon career, with the 38-year-old officially retiring after the Olympic Games later that summer.
However, in a new interview with The Times, the former ATP world No 1 has revealed that there is no animosity between the two.
“We exchanged multiple messages since Wimbledon, and things were fine after we cleared everything up,” said Murray.
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“It was obviously a pretty emotional time for me and everyone around me, so it was hard but, like I said, I was really happy with the way that my career finished.
“I got to play my last match at Wimbledon with my brother. Emma’s not someone that beforehand we were communicating all the time or discussing ideas about her game and things like that, so that hasn’t changed.”
Outside of a short-lived, high-profile coaching spell with Novak Djokovic, Murray has largely stayed away from tennis since his retirement last summer.
And, it appears that he will not be appearing on TV screens as a pundit anytime soon.
Speaking further in the interview, he claimed that it would be “unhelpful” for him to publicly critique Raducanu and other younger stars.
He added: “I know when I was a young British player I found it very, very unhelpful when people that you knew or looked up to were being critical of you after losses publicly.
“You respect their opinions, and often they might differ from what your coach is telling you. When you’re 20 years old, you’re still responsible for the team that you employ.
“If you’ve got an ex-British No 1 or an ex-world No 1 saying they don’t agree with how you hit your forehand or the strategy you use in matches, it can be a bit undermining.
“I know pundits have to do that, but it’s really not helpful for young players, in particular, who maybe are not able to block that out and trust their coaches.
“If any of the younger British players ever want to talk to me privately, I would always do that.”
