Andy Murray withdraws from Wimbledon singles, will make final tournament appearance in doubles

CNN
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Two-time champion Andy Murray will not compete in this year’s Wimbledon singles competition after recently undergoing back surgery, his management team announced on Tuesday.

Murray, however, hopes to play doubles with his brother Jamie, which will be his final Wimbledon appearance.

“Unfortunately, despite Andy having worked incredibly hard on his recovery since his surgery just over a week ago, he has made the very difficult decision not to compete in the singles event this year,” a statement from the 37-year-old’s team said.

“As you can imagine he is hugely disappointed but he has confirmed he will be playing doubles with Jamie and he is looking forward to competing for the last time at Wimbledon.”

Murray was scheduled to face Czech Tomas Machac in the first round of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament on Tuesday and waited until the last minute to decide whether he would play.

He is recovering from surgery on a cyst in his spine after withdrawing from the Queen’s Club Championship with a back injury.

Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion, is nearing the end of his tennis career and has previously said that the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris could be his last tournament.

He said he “wants to play a real match” and that he would not rule out participating in other tournaments this season if he cannot be competitive at Wimbledon and the Olympics.

Murray, the only Briton in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title, won his first major at the US Open in 2012 and his two Wimbledon victories came in 2013 and 2016.

The former world No. 1 won two consecutive gold medals in singles at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. In 2012, he partnered Laura Robson to win a silver medal in mixed doubles.

After undergoing hip surgery in 2019, he climbed back into the world’s top 50. However, he has continued to struggle with injury problems in recent years.

After Murray withdrew from the Wimbledon singles, Belgian David Goffin, a lucky loser in qualifying, has been confirmed as Machac’s first-round opponent.

“Andy, we’re sorry to hear that you won’t be competing in singles this year,” the tournament said in a statement on social media. “But we’re so looking forward to seeing you compete in doubles and celebrating all the memories you’ve given us.”