What an emotional roller-coaster ride it has been for the home fans at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. While on one hand, they are seeing a rejuvenated Emma Raducanu, on the other they bid farewell to their legend, Andy Murray, who played his last match here. The British legend bowed out of the tournament in men’s doubles with his brother, Jamie, to bid an emotional farewell to his fans, who had gathered in large numbers. However, one notable absentee was Roger Federer.
Although the Swiss maestro is attending the Wimbledon Championships, he wasn’t seen during Murray’s men’s doubles encounter. The latter was also slated to play in mixed doubles along with Emma Raducanu. However, the WTA player pulled out of this format citing stiffness in her right wrist.
The duo was slated to play later today and Federer was in attendance at Court 1 where the match was scheduled. Alas! It was all over for Murray as Raducanu pulled out and Federer missed a chance to see his rival in action for one final time in action at Wimbledon, despite being in attendance at the All England Club.
BREAKING: Emma Raducanu has pulled out of tonight’s mixed doubles, citing stiffness in her right wrist. Sadly, Andy Murray has played his last Wimbledon match.
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) July 6, 2024
Earlier in the day, the Swiss maestro was seen enjoying the action of Ben Shelton’s match on Court 1. The American sensation is up against Denis Shapovalov and is leading 2 sets to 1. Interestingly, Federer did meet up with Murray before his doubles match, as tournament director Jamie Baker said, “Yeah, he went and saw Andy before the match…I think Andy really appreciated that as well.”
Meanwhile, Raducanu’s withdrawal comes as a major blow to not only Federer but also the British pairing, who were looking to play in Paris together at the Olympic Games. With Raducanu’s pulling out of the mixed doubles tie, their preparations have been caught in limbo.
For Murray, it has been a tough week apart from not being able to play mixed doubles at Wimbledon along with Raducanu. Earlier, he had to pull out of his men’s singles tie against Tomas Machac. Subsequently, he lost in straight sets in men’s doubles tie to Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and John Deers while partnering with his brother. Further, emotions rolled through after Murray’s men’s doubles tie.
Tears roll down Andy Murray’s eyes
As the former World Number 1 played his final match at Wimbledon, he was honored in a special ceremony on the Centre Court. Murray’s mother, Judy, was also present along with his fellow players like Novak Djokovic. As Murray began his heart-breaking farewell speech in front of a packed Centre Court, tears rolled down his eyes.
The Briton said, “It is hard because I would love to keep playing, but I can’t. Physically, it’s just too tough now. I want to play forever, I love the sport. It’s given me so much, taught me loads of lessons over the years that I can use in the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it is hard.”
Indeed, his career lately has been affected by a lot of injuries. He even played with a metal rod in his hip after undergoing surgery. This eventually affected his performances and he couldn’t get back to his best. With this season being his final one, can Murray have one last laugh before his retirement? Let us know your views in the comments below.