Andy Murray defends mother Judy and says has not spoken to Emma Raducanu since Wimbledon…

Murray’s final Wimbledon ended abruptly when Raducanu pulled out of the pair’s mixed doubles campaign at the eleventh hour

Andy Murray revealed that he has not spoken a word to Emma Raducanu since she took what his mother Judy described as an “astonishing” decision to pull out of the Wimbledon mixed doubles and end his All England Club career.

The two-time Wimbledon and Olympic champion, who plays his last-ever match at these Paris Games, responded with a distinct froideur as soon as he was pressed on whether he had communicated with Raducanu during the two-and-a-half-weeks since her decision to withdraw. “No, I haven’t spoken to her since we chatted on the phone, when she told me she wasn’t going to play,” he said. “We’ve not spoken.”

His mother had stoked the fires when she described Raducanu’s actions, ending his Wimbledon career with a single Instagram post, as “astonishing”. Judy later tried to insist that her remark had been meant sarcastically, but Murray himself gave no indication the message had been misconstrued.

“It’s always important, in situations like this, to remember that at that moment, everyone is really emotional,” he said. “It’s the end of me playing at Wimbledon. For everyone, I’m aware there’s a much bigger picture out there. But she’s my mum. She cares a lot about me, and she has been a huge part of my career. Look at what had happened in the 10 days of warm-up – I had just had a surgery, I didn’t know if I would get the opportunity to play. Everyone’s emotions are running high at that time of year. My mum’s always going to look out for my best interests. She has been the best supporter.”