Heartbreak, more heartbreak followed by immense sadness, and finally some tincture of solace! Andy Murray fans have suffered all of it in a fortnight. From undergoing a surgical scalpel for his back surgery to the possibility of withdrawal from the Grass Slam. Although the British Knight made his comeback, he withdrew from the singles category just hours before he was supposed to play. But fans drew some solace from the fact that they could see him dive on the grass court. The 3-time Grand Slam champion has entered the mixed doubles, with a surprising doubles partner in Emma Raducanu, over Olympics partner Heather Watson.

In what could be his final Wimbledon appearance, Andy Murray is doubling down on his participation. Already confirmed for the men’s doubles with his brother Jamie, the three-time Grand Slam champion has now also signed up for mixed doubles alongside fellow Brit Emma Raducanu. The All England Club awarded a wild-card entry to Murray and Raducanu in mixed doubles on Wednesday. The tennis journalist Tumaini Carayol confirmed the news with his recent tweet. This is a huge surprise for the tennis circuit, as the Wimbledon Open is a prestigious event in itself. But with the Paris Olympics fast approaching, tennis fans also view it as a dry run for a quadrennial event. Hence, Murray leaving Watson to play with Raducanu has led to the question: Why Raducanu?

In her fourth appearance at the Olympics, Watson would be joining Katie Boulter and Andy Murray as their doubles partner in Women’s and Mixed doubles as a part of team Great Britain. Wimbledon mixed doubles 2016 winner, Watson, holds the ranking of World no.50 in the doubles category, while Raducanu has yet to compete in doubles. While Raducanu seems to be back in form, as she has progressed to the 2 round, Watson will be playing women’s doubles tomorrow with the German partner Greet Minnen. It seems that the veteran tennis legend is careful not to disturb the doubles schedule for his Olympic partner. But the speculations stand tall: if Murray performs better with Raducanu, would she overturn her Olympics decision or Watson would stand by him on the Red dirt of Paris?

Moreover, no tennis player would let go of the chance to stand on the same court as Murray, as it might be their last chance to stand in the presence of British tennis greatness on the Grass courts. Either the opposite side or the same side of the court. And Raducanu would gain golden experience from the chance she was served on a silver platter. But many, including Coco Gauff’s coach, who were waiting for Murray’s return to court just to see him play singles, are left stranded while Raducanu enjoys the greatness!

Coco Gauff’s coach expresses heartbreak after Andy Murray’s withdrawal from singles

It’s not just players and tennis fans who were eagerly waiting for Murray to step onto the court. The World No.2’s coach was among them. And recently he joined hands with millions of tennis fans in expressing heartbreak over Murray’s withdrawal. Murray’s back became a hurdle in his participation in the singles.

Brad Gilbert shared his angst. He tweeted, “really bummed for Sir Andy having to pull out today.” However, it’s not just the professional respect for the Briton, but personal too, as they collaborated back in 2006. And Wimbledon organizers are not far behind the coach. Being considerate of the memories and wins on the circuit, organizers are ready to accept whatever the legend has to offer. “We are so looking forward to seeing you compete in the doubles and celebrating all the memories you have given us.”

It would be an interesting match-up between the outgoing generation and the incoming one! A perfect example of generational transition as Murray hands over the baton of British tennis glory to Emma Raducanu!