Andy Murray was visibly emotional as the crowd paid a Centre Court tribute to the star earlier this week
Raducanu (left) previously said that playing with Murray was an ‘amazing opportunity’ (pictured together in 2019)
‘An incredible Wimbledon career comes to an end. You should be so very proud Andy Murray. On behalf of all of us, thank you! C,’ Kate wrote on X (pictured above: Kate and William watching the 2011 Wimbledon championships)
The withdrawal means Murray’s last game at SW19 was his men’s doubles defeat alongside brother Jamie earlier this week
Another X user shared a picture of Kate and Murray during a previous Wimbledon tournament
In a statement Raducanu had said: ‘Unfortunately I woke up with some stiffness in my right wrist this morning, 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.’
The decision is said to have left Murray ‘absolutely devastated’, reports the PA news agency.
Raducanu, who previously won the US Open, had been pictured training at Wimbledon this morning while wearing an England football shirt.
Raducanu had previously said the scheduling of her match was ‘not ideal’ given it clashed with England’s match against Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals and the night before her fourth round match in the women’s singles.
The tennis star said on Friday: ‘The scheduling of that was not ideal. It’s just an amazing opportunity to be able to play with him. It’s something that I’m going to cherish.’
And speaking after her victory over No 9 seed Maria Sakkari to move into the fourth round of the women’s singles draw on Friday night, she revealed how she wanted to make the most of her time at the tournament.
She remarked: ‘I think staying present in the moment is what got me this far. I’m not going to start changing anything.
‘I was able to turn some scorelines in the game around, being 15-40. I think that’s the best way for me to approach it. I think also for me to be winning that match against a top-10 opponent on Centre Court, it’s a beautiful feeling and one that I really want to savour.
‘Tennis is pretty brutal in the way you have to enjoy it tonight and then tomorrow you’re already thinking about the next one. You can win the tournament but you can lose first round the next week. It’s the sport. I’m just trying to cherish every moment I have here.’
However, her decision to pull out at short notice caught the attention of Judy Murray, the mother of her mixed doubles partner.
Responding to a tweet about the development, Judy called the move ‘astonishing’, as it meant her son’s career at Wimbledon was brought to a premature end.
The British duo had been set to compete together but Raducanu (right) has pulled out due to wrist soreness
The news of Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal from the mixed doubles caught the attention of Judy Murray, who called the decision ‘astonishing’ on social media
Emma Raducanu was pictured warming up while wearing an England football shirt earlier today
The names of Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu are removed from the order of play at Wimbledon today after her decision to pull out with a wrist injury
Murray is set to retire at the Olympics, but the All England Club chose the emotional moment alongside his brother to celebrate his legacy.
Sue Barker, who stepped down as the BBC’s presenter of Wimbledon after 2022, returned especially to interview Murray on court, joking that she ‘couldn’t miss this’.
The Olympic 2012 hero had come back to play in the tournament just days after undergoing spinal surgery, making a brave return in the hopes he could see out his SW19 career in style.
It comes as he nears the end of a stunning athletic career – after ranking at world number one for 41 weeks and winning a stunning three Grand Slam singles titles.
He also thrashed his way to victory at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games – becoming the only male player to have defended a singles gold medal.
Speaking after his defeat earlier this week, Murray said: ‘It is hard because I want to keep playing but I can’t, physically it’s too tough now. I want to play forever.
‘I love this sport. It has given me so much, taught me loads of lessons. I don’t want to stop.’
He added that it had been ‘very special’ to play with his brother in what would turn out to be his final Wimbledon match.
‘It was a race against time to get out here and physically it wasn’t easy but I’m glad we were able to do it one time together,’ he said.
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