Emma Raducanu defended her decision to pull out of the Wimbledon mixed doubles following her defeat against Lulu Sun.
The former US Open champion had shown flashes of her best form in recent weeks as she attempts to finally put her injury nightmares behind her.
Hopes of making it through to the second week of Wimbledon evaporated on Sunday, however, as unheralded qualifier Sun pulled off a surprise victory.
Raducanu had hoped that pulling out of the mixed doubles, where she was due to play alongside British legend Murray, would aid her cause in the women’s singles.
Her decision to renege on an agreement with Murray upset many fans hoping to catch one last glimpse of the 37-year-old in action at SW19 before he hangs up his racket.
Murray’s own mum, Judy, appeared to take a swipe at Raducanu but subsequently clarified that her tweet was a dig at the Wimbledon schedulers.
As it transpired, Raducanu gained little advantage from the extra rest she afforded herself as Sun powered to the most significant win over her career.
Raducanu, meanwhile, maintains she took the best course of action and hopes Murray will get over the disappointment in time to feature at the Olympics in Paris later this month.
She said: ‘I just woke up with a bit of a stiff wrist. With the balls being quite heavy in the grass, it’s just something I have to manage. I just had to prioritise my singles and my body.
‘I don’t think it was a mistake because I was feeling fine. It was the right decision. I stand by the decision. It was a tough decision because it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.
‘Andy was obviously disappointed because it’s his last match. What a champion. I think that hopefully he’ll play in the Olympics and have another farewell there.’
Responding to the fuore caused by Judy Murray’s social medial post, meanwhile, she added: ‘I hadn’t seen Judy’s reaction. I’m sure she didn’t mean it.
‘I think with every decision, people are entitled to their opinions. Of course, there was a bit of a cloud around the decision.
‘I don’t think I would have done it any other way. I think in this sport especially, as an individual, you have to make your own calls and prioritise yourself.
‘Especially with my history, I just had to put myself first.’
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