Andy Murray As an injury jeopardizes his chances of competing in Wimbledon and the Olympics, the three-time Grand Slam champion will undergo back surgery.
Andy Murray was forced to retire at Queen’s Club due to an injury; he will have a back procedure that will determine whether or not he plays at Wimbledon.
Murray withdrew from his second round match against Jordan Thompson while trailing 4-1 in the opening set. After three games, he had treatment for sore hips and lower back. It was later confirmed Murray had an issue with his back and will have surgery on Saturday.
The 37-year-old is hoping to play at Wimbledon, which begins on July 1 for what is expected to be his last appearance at the Grand Slam.
Just before he entered Centre Court, the two-time champion at the All England Club had a scan to ascertain the severity of the issue that was numbing his right leg.
Murray stated: “I was not feeling very strong in my right leg when I walked up the stairs right before the game. I was also feeling a little uncomfortable during my pre-match warm-up. It was not the typical emotion.
“Then, my right leg was so clumsy that I hit the first two balls in the warm-up. My coordination was poor. Then, yeah, I was having trouble with my right leg’s function.
“Looking back, I wish I had not gone on there—it was awkward for everyone.”
“There is nothing I could do, but there is also a part of you that wishes you could go out there and see if things improve—perhaps with some medication or something—but that was not the case.”
When asked if he worries about missing Wimbledon, Murray responded, “I am not sure.
Like all tennis players, I have degenerative joints and other issues in my back, but throughout my career, I have mostly had left-sided issues. My right side has never caused me too many problems.
Therefore, it is possible that something can be done to support the right side between now and then.
“I will have scans done tomorrow [Thursday], have it checked again, and see if anything can be done.”
Murray took his time getting on the court and lost the first two games, so it was obvious he was not moving correctly.
Despite losing two more games while holding serve, he decided to retire and waved to the onlookers while getting a standing ovation from the audience.
Murray, who suffered damage to his ankle ligaments in late March and had to miss eight weeks of action, only started playing again last month, is scheduled to compete in Wimbledon’s men’s doubles and singles alongside his brother Jamie.
Following his gold medals in singles competition in Rio 2016 and London 2012, the International Tennis Federation awarded Murray a spot in Great Britain’s squad for the Olympic Games in Paris.
Murray is slated to compete in men’s singles and men’s doubles with Dan Evans at the Olympics starting on July 27.
He stated that after this summer, he will retire.
“Murray has suffered a severe setback. After a potentially career-ending hip surgery in 2019, which no singles player had ever recovered from, he has recovered from injuries so many times and finished the year ranked in the top 40 in the world.
“Murray is only 60% fit, but he will still give it his all to play at Wimbledon, even though it will not be how he wants to spend what will probably be his final match at the All-England Club.
“Murray will undoubtedly just rest as much as possible before the start of July, as Wimbledon is in less than two weeks. Perhaps Murray’s body can only take so much this time. Can he get better one more time?
It is the second injury concern for a British player at Queen’s in as many days following Dan Evans’ knee injury from a slip.
Two British players are currently vying for a spot in the Olympics and Wimbledon because Evans stated it would be difficult to swallow if he missed either competition. Despite this, it is difficult to be optimistic about either player’s chances.
