Emma Raducanu says she smoothed things over with Andy Murray after their unfortunate argument at Wimbledon last summer.
Speaking after her second round victory against Amanda Anisimova to the Australian OpenRaducanu revealed that she sent Murray “a long message basically apologizing if I caused any problems at Wimbledon. This is definitely the last thing I want.
To sketch a little history, Raducanu had initially agreed to play mixed doubles with Murray in what would have been his final Wimbledon appearance. But she withdrew the morning of the match, saying she woke up with stiffness in her wrist. On social media, Murray’s mother, Judy, called the decision “astonishing.”
The two former US Open champions have hardly crossed paths since. Raducanu thinks they could have said “Hello” once at the National Tennis Center in south-west London, but that was about the limit.
Then, on Thursday, they crossed paths in the players’ areas at Melbourne Park, shortly after Raducanu’s courageous 6-3, 7-5 victory over world number 35 Amanda Anisimova.
“I saw Andy today, and he said, ‘Well done,’ and congratulated me,” Raducanu said. “It was really nice. He’s someone I admire a lot. So it’s nice to get that pat on the back from him.
Asked if she had wanted to resolve the lingering issues with Murray, Raducanu said: “It’s big. Whether or not I can go back and do things differently is in the past. All I can do is evaluate this and learn for the future.
“And I wanted to take the initiative because growing up he was one of my idols, and he still is, with everything he’s achieved in the game, coming from the UK and the same system and everything.
“I don’t want any hard feelings or hard feelings with him. I sent him a long message and he took it very well and responded saying he was disappointed but understood. We are fine now. We pass each other and say “Hello”, “Bravo”. It’s obviously really cool to see him with Novak (Djokovic) here too. Two great champions and they’re just together, it’s pretty awesome.
Raducanu laughed, concluding jokingly: “I just hope he doesn’t hate me too much.”
Raducanu was in an upbeat mood on Thursday, and understandably so. She was coming off a tough second-round encounter with Anisimova, who hits one of the biggest balls on the women’s tour.
After numerous defensive struggles on the court, she needed a medical timeout to treat her hips and lower back. But his tenacity and dexterity prevailed, effectively defusing his opponent’s power play. In the end, Anisimova became Amiss-inova, totaling 44 unforced errors in the match. (For context, Raducanu only struck out 17.)
In his post-match press conference, Raducanu said some physical discomfort is only natural when you haven’t competed in almost two months. “To have two really physical (matches), I think little problems will arise here and there. Yeah, I was able to push through some pain today.
Raducanu put her hands to her head in disbelief after converting her first match point via a typically trick shot: a low, slippery, curved slice that Anisimova couldn’t handle. Her recovery game was exceptional throughout and she said she felt stronger during the stretch thanks to the work she did with her new full-time fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura.
Following a victory that lasted just under two hours, Raducanu gave a rapturous on-court interview in which she called the Australian Open “the slam that I love to play.” It’s always good to flatter the locals.
Raducanu has not fared particularly well at overseas tournaments since her historic victory at the 2021 US Open. This is the first time she has reached the round of 16 at a major tournament outside of Wimbledon since more than three years, during which his record stood at 50-50: seven victories in 14 matches.
However, his tournament doesn’t get any easier from here. Her next opponent on Saturday will be world number 2 and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.
“I’ll probably take it easy tomorrow (and) have a slight knock,” Raducanu said when asked if she had any concerns about the back pain. “Nothing crazy. I played a lot of tennis today and two days ago, so I don’t think I need to do too much on the practice court. I feel it a little, but I still have time.
