MY ACCOUNT
Andy Murray sympathises with Emma Raducanu’s struggles since winning the US Open last year, noting her sudden rise to stardom has been “extremely difficult to navigate.”
Murray also revealed he remains torn on whether he would remain in tennis after retiring, admitting an interest in coaching but saying he was not yet certain he would follow that path.
The two British hopes will both feature on Centre Court when Wimbledon begins on Monday, with Raducanu facing Alison Van Uytvanck before Murray takes on Australia’s James Duckworth.
Raducanu has endured an injury-hit 2022 season, only lasting 36 minutes when making her first grass-court appearance of the year at Nottingham earlier this month, but has since declared herself “ready to go” ahead of the year’s third grand slam.
Recalling Raducanu’s stunning triumph in New York last September, Murray said the way she was thrust into the public eye has complicated her 2022 campaign.
“I never experienced what she experienced, your life changing overnight,” he told the Telegraph.
“It’s impossible to know if everyone who is then involved with you is looking out for your best interests. You know that your family wants the best for you. The families are of course going to make mistakes, because it’s new to everybody.
“I would have worked with coaches when I was younger who were not necessarily the right people for me – and management companies, too.
“You question; ‘Do they want what’s best for you or do they want to make lots of money off you?’
“It’s extremely difficult to navigate.”
Murray and Raducanu are the only British players to win a grand slam singles title since Virginia Wade’s Wimbledon triumph in 1977, with the Scot’s last major win coming at the All England Club Wimbledon in 2016.
Ahead of his tilt at a third triumph at SW19, the 35-year-old said his post-retirement plans remained uncertain.
“I have interests and things outside of tennis and I know that when I finally finish, everything will be fine. The world won’t end,” he added.
“Whereas maybe when I was 25, and maybe at times even at the beginning of the [Amazon Prime] documentary in 2017 [about his injuries], I was still a bit like that.
“I’ve always been interested in coaching. There’s also a chance that I might not be involved in tennis anymore.
“I feel right now that I would always have some involvement in tennis, but there are also times when I’ve been away from the sport and I’ve not watched any of the tournaments.
“That’s when I’m just at home with the kids. It’s pretty full-on, that side of things.”
