London: Andy Murray has withdrawn from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament after the two-time champion decided he wasn’t fit enough to compete at the All England Club.
Murray has only just returned to action after 11 months on the sidelines due to a hip injury that needed surgery in January. “It’s with regret I’m withdrawing from Wimbledon,” Murray said in a statement Sunday.
“I’ve made significant progress in practice and matches over the last 10 days but, after lengthy discussions with my team and with a heavy heart, we’ve decided that playing best-of-five-set matches might be a bit too soon in the recovery process.”
Murray was due to play France’s Benoit Paire in the first round Tuesday, but he had admitted Sunday morning that there was a chance he could pull out if his body didn’t feel right.
The 31-year-old Scot had played just three matches since making his comeback last week where he was beaten by Nick Kyrgios at Queen’s Club then saw off Stan Wawrinka at Eastbourne Monday, but the former World No1 lost to Kyle Edmund Wednesday.
“We did everything we could to try to be ready in time. I will start practising on the hard courts from tomorrow (Monday) and continuing with my rehab and recovery and I’m looking forward to the US hard-court season,” Murray added.