"Emma Raducanu ruined her legacy, British fans will not forgive her" - Fans shocked by Brit's withdrawal from Wimbledon mixed doubles with Andy Murray

Emma Raducanu's last-minute withdrawal from her mixed doubles match with Andy Murray at the ongoing 2024 Wimbledon Championships has irked tennis fans. Raducanu's decision has received flak because it has officially ended Murray's SW19 career.

Former ATP World No. 1 Murray had withdrawn from the singles owing to the short recovery period he had in the buildup to this year's Championships following a back surgery on Saturday, June 22. However, the Brit had entered the men's doubles draw alongside his brother Jamie, and later announced that he would be playing mixed doubles with the 2021 US Open women's singles champion Raducanu.

Murray's match with Jamie against John Peers and Rinky Hijikata on Thursday, July 4, went the Australian duo's way. Even though Murray received an emotional farewell on Centre Court after the match, there was still belief that the two-time Wimbledon winner's final appearance at the prestigious grasscourt Major would come alongside Raducanu, one of British tennis' most promising talents.

However, on Saturday, July 6, Raducanu pulled out of the match against the pair of Zhang Shuai and Marcelo Arevalo citing a wrist problem, saying (via the BBC):

"I have decided to make the very tough decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles. I’m disappointed as I was really looking forward to playing with Andy but I've got to take care."

This development meant that Murray's last appearance as a player had already come and gone, much to the disappointment of fans, who heavily criticized Raducanu on X (formerly Twitter). One fan wrote:

"Raducanu literally ruined her legacy idc. British fans will not forgive her for this"

Another user wrote:

"Andy Murray: metal hip, back cyst, jelly legs, and probably fractured feet, tennis elbow, a sprained wrist, and a sprained shoulder, Emma Raducanu: “I’ll just say I have some wrist pain."

"In an era of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the person to end Andy Murray's Wimbledon career is Emma Raducanu," another fan wrote.

"Better not go out there to play single the dog, putting out fake PR quotes saying it was her dream to play with Murray and some things are just not bigger than it, all cheap talk to get more fans. What an unauthentic crook," another fan chimed in.

However, another set of fans tried to empathize with her instead of criticizing the former WTA World No. 10 and opined that Murray had already received a terrific farewell on Thursday, July 4. Raducanu is still expected to feature in the singles, with her next match set to be against Lulu Sun in the fourth round on Sunday, July 7.

"He already had a great farewell with his brother," a fan wrote.

"It doesn’t make sense for Raducanu to be playing mixed doubles when she’s trying to progress in the singles, imho," commented another fan.

"The right decision all round TBH. Raducanu needs to concentrate on the singles with her draw opening up. This will have been a huge anti-climax for Murray after the amazing send off he got at the end of his doubles match. And it’s fitting that his last match was with his brother," another fan weighed in.

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Emma Raducanu's third-round win over Maria Sakkari left her as the lowest-ranked player in the women's singles draw at Wimbledon 2024

Emma Raducanu in action against Maria Sakkari at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships

Emma Raducanu has so far been in blistering form in the singles at SW19 and is yet to drop a set. The former World No. 10 comfortably brushed aside Renata Zarazua and Elise Mertens in the first and second rounds respectively. In the third round, she faced a daunting challenge in WTA World No. 9 Maria Sakkari.

However, Sakkari was no match for Raducanu as the Brit produced a counterpunching masterclass, leaving the Greek searching for answers that she simply couldn't find. Raducanu entered this year's Wimbledon as the World No. 135, a far cry from her career-high ranking of World No. 10 that she achieved following her unexpected tryst with success at the 2021 US Open.

Since those high-flying days though, the Brit has struggled to find consistency. Last year, injury struggles added to her woes as her season was cut short at the 2023 Madrid Open. Both these developments contributed to her drastic ranking fall.

Things are certainly improving for Raducanu however, and she is set to re-enter the top 100 when the WTA Tour rankings are updated following the conclusion of the Wimbledon Championships. For now, the World No. 135 is the lowest-ranked player remaining in the women's singles draw at the prestigious grasscourt Major.