Kate Middleton Sends Andy Murray Personal Message of Support Applauding Wimbledon Career

We may not have seen Kate Middleton at Wimbledon as she undergoes chemotherapy for cancer, but that doesn’t mean Kate Middleton hasn’t seen Wimbledon.

It’s still unknown if the Princess of Wales, who is a patron of the tournament’s presenter, the All England Lawn Tennis Club, will make her customary appearance at the Grand Slam tournament to hand out trophies, but on Saturday, she made it clear that she’s been following the tournament, sending a congratulatory message to player Andy Murray.

On the Instagram Stories of the account she shares with Prince William, Kate shared a personal note. “An incredible Wimbledon career comes to an end. You should be so very proud @andymurray. On behalf of all of us, thank you!” she wrote, signing the message, “C.”

Murray made his debut at Wimbledon as a teenager in 2005, and had previously announced that this year would be his final appearance at the tournament. He recently underwent surgery for a cyst on his spine, among other injuries.

On Thursday, he and brother Jamie were knocked out of the men’s doubles tournament by John Peers and Rinky Hijikata. He was scheduled to compete in the mixed doubles tournament alongside Emma Raducanu, but Raducanu announced that she would withdraw to prioritize her performance in the women’s singles event after dealing with wrist stiffness.

On Sunday, after being eliminated from the singles tournament, Raducanu said she stood by her decision.

“I didn’t want to take his last match away from him,” she said of Murray. “But at the end of the day I think a lot of the players in a similar situation would have done the same thing, prioritizing their body. I still stand by making the right call.”

“He was obviously disappointed because it’s his last match [at Wimbledon]. But what a champion. I think that hopefully he’ll play in the Olympics and have another farewell there.”

Murray, for his part, has said that the Paris Olympics will likely be his final matches, if he’s able to compete.

“It is hard because I would love to keep playing, but I can’t. Physically, it’s just too tough now,” Murray said in an interview Thursday after receiving a standing ovation following a video tribute of career highlights. “I want to play forever, I love the sport. It’s given me so much, taught me loads of lessons over the years that I can use in the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop, so it is hard.”

Kate and Murray are friends and have teamed up for events like a 2020 video call during a pandemic-canceled Wimbledon, and last year, the player pointed at the princess in the stands in wordless acknowledgment as he took the court.

All England Club Chair Debbie Jevans said that the organization is hopeful that Kate will be able to attend the tournament this year, but that no final decisions have been made.

“We’re hopeful that the Princess of Wales will be able to present the trophies as the Club’s patron, but her health and recovery is the priority,” Jevans said. “We don’t know what we don’t know. All we’ve said is that we’ll work with her and give her as much flexibility as possible.”