Emma Raducanu was supposed to play in the mixed doubles event with Andy Murray at Wimbledon but she withdrew citing a stiff wrist. TV presenter Anne Diamond did not take the news well as she slammed the 21-year-old on live TV for her decision.

Murray withdrew from the singles event at SW19 due to a back surgery he underwent recently. The Brit played the men’s doubles event with his brother but lost in the first round. After that match, he received an emotional farewell ceremony on Centre Court.

Murray fans were eagerly waiting for him to grace Wimbledon one last time when he would step onto the court for the mixed doubles event with Raducanu. However, Raducanu, who has faced numerous issues with her wrist in the past, withdrew from the event on the day of their first-round match (July 6) by releasing a statement wherein she claimed that she woke up with a stiff wrist.

Raducanu was also set to play her fourth-round match in the singles event the next day, on July 7, and she had described the schedule as ‘not ideal’. However, the schedule remained unaltered as she withdrew from the mixed doubles event due to the issue with her wrist.

Anne Diamond was distraught with Raducanu’s withdrawal and chastised the former US Open winner.

“She snubbed the king of Wimbledon [Andy Murray]… Who does she think she is?” Diamond said on live TV. “Just speaking as a fan, I was really looking forward to it. I also see it as a giant snub from a young girl, who has got a future ahead of her, yes – but he is the king of Wimbledon.”

“I’m not rooting for her anymore. I’m so sorry, I was yesterday – I was so keen and absolutely behind her, and now this. To me, this is like Rishi Sunak going back from the D-Day beaches early. I think it’s an unforgivable snub,” she added.

Emma Raducanu defends her decision to withdraw from mixed doubles event with Andy Murray

A day after withdrawing from the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon with Andy Murray, Emma Raducanu played her fourth-round match against Lulu Sun on Centre Court. The 21-year-old lost 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 and exited the Grand Slam.

During her post-match press conference, the Brit defended her decision to withdraw from the mixed doubles.

“It was a very difficult decision… Of course, I didn’t want to take his last match away from him. But at the end of the day, I think a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritizing their body. I still stand by making the right call,” Emma Raducanu said.

She also said that Andy Murray was disappointed but he will hopefully play at the Olympics and receive another farewell there.