EMMA RADUCANU AND STAN WAWRINKA HAIL 'GREAT GUY' AND 'AMAZING CHAMPION' ANDY MURRAY'S LEGACY AS SCOT'S SINGLES CAREER AT WIMBLEDON IS OVER AFTER FIRST ROUND WITHDRAWAL

• READ MORE: Andy Murray's men's singles career at Wimbledon is OVER 
• On Monday, Emma Raducanu and Stan Wawrinka spoke glowingly of Murray 
• LIVE: Follow all the action from Wimbledon right here with our dedicated blog 

Emma Raducanu has heaped praise on Andy Murray and the example he has continually set for her and the rest of Britain's young rising stars after his singles career at Wimbledon was brought to a halt.

Murray made the agonising decision on Tuesday morning not to play his first round singles match against Tomas Machac, meaning he has played his final singles match at the All England Club. 

Raducanu, speaking after her first round win on Monday, paid special tribute to the impact of Murray, even if their time together has been relatively fleeting on tour.

'The biggest standout thing for me was when he lost in the final here of Wimbledon, then came back a month later and won the Olympics,' Raducanu said. 

'I think that to get through six really difficult rounds, then lose in the final, then to play a month later and be in the final again, your mind, without you realising, just runs like déjà vu scenarios.'

She added: 'I think the biggest advice is just how he's always taken care of his operations, how he manages his people. 

'I haven't really spoken to him so much. I think for me it's just like watching him operate day to day, watching him be absolutely on it with everything. 

'Even in practice now, he's so on it to the minute. I think me, when I was a bit younger maybe, showing up 15 minutes before practice to do a few arm curls, swing my hand around and warm up, he's there for an hour and a half doing treatment. He just sets really good examples.'

Stan Wawrinka has been a long-time adversary, and friend, of Murray's and he spoke glowingly of the Scot's legacy as his career edges towards its conclusion. 

'It's been more than 20 years. Of course there are many [highlights],' Wawrinka said. 

'The first time with the roof closed here was something special to play here against him at home. 

'He's been an amazing champion. He pushed everybody. He won everything in the sport that you can win. He's been #1. He's been an example for many players. 

'He's a great guy. We're good friends. As I've said, it's been more than 20 years. We spent so much time together on court, during practice… just tons of time together. We always had a good relationship.'

Many in the Wimbledon Queue waiting anxiously for news of whether Murray would be fit enough to feature on Centre Court today, only for the disappointment to surface at 10.15am.

A statement from the 37-year-old's team read: 'Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year.

'As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time.'

That means that Murray's five-set defeat by Stefanos Tsitsipas on Centre Court in the second round last year will go down as his last singles match at the All England Club.

He was due to play Machac, who will now face lucky loser David Goffin – the man Murray famously lobbed to win the Davis Cup in 2015.

Read more

2024-07-02T11:11:45Z dg43tfdfdgfd