Murray withdraws from Wimbledon with heavy heart

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Two-time champion Andy Murray withdrew from Wimbledon with a “heavy heart” on Sunday after saying his right hip was still not ready for the demands of a Grand Slam.

The 31-year-old Scot made a comeback last month at Queen’s Club following almost a year out with the injury that required surgery in Australia in January.

During a news conference on Saturday, the former world number one sounded hopeful about his chances of being ready to face Frenchman Benoit Paire in the first round on Tuesday.

But he announced he was pulling out 24 hours later having consulted his team. It is the first time Murray has missed Wimbledon since 2007, when a wrist injury ruled him out.

Screenshot from Andy Murray's Twitter account

“It is with a heavy heart that I’m announcing that I’ll be withdrawing from Wimbledon this year,” Murray, who ended a 77-year wait for a British men’s champion at Wimbledon when he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final, said on Twitter.

Murray’s withdrawal is a big blow for the tournament which he also won in 2016 — the year he reached the top of the ATP rankings for the first time.

However, he had admitted on Saturday that he needed to take a smarter approach to protecting his body.

Former world number one Mats Wilander said this week that only eight-times Wimbledon champion Roger Federer was a bigger name at the grasscourt major than Murray.

Murray, ranked 156th in the ATP standings, now faces the prospect of losing virtually all of his ranking points having reached the quarter-finals last year where he hobbled to defeat against American Sam Querrey.

After Wimbledon he will lose 360 of the 380 points he currently holds, leaving him down in the 800s.

His place in the Wimbledon draw was taken by lucky loser Jason Jung of Chinese Taipei.

Source(s): Reuters