ANDY MURRAY: WIMBLEDON DECISION NOT YET MADE AFTER ATP TWEET CAUSES CONFUSION
Andy Murray is yet to decide whether or not he'll play at Wimbledon for the final time this summer.
A social media post from the ATP on Sunday claimed that following surgery on a spinal cyst, the 37-year-old would not be competing at SW19 next month. That post has since been deleted and Davis Cup captain Leon Smith has now clarified that no decision on his participation has been made.
Murray has indicated on multiple occasions that he is set to retire after the summer which would make this year's Wimbledon his last. The ATP had posted on X, formerly Twitter: "After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon. Rest up and recover Andy, we'll miss seeing you there."
But in an interview with the BBC, Smith - who's also head of men's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association - explained: "He obviously went through a procedure yesterday and you have to wait and see now. My understanding is no decision has been made and let's hope for the best for Andy."
The men's singles at Wimbledon begins on July 1, with the final on July 14. It was reported shortly after the ATP's now-deleted post that two-time champion Murray was expected to be out of action for six weeks following the operation, with that period of rehab also plunging his chances of representing Team GB at the Olympic Games in Paris into serious doubt.
Murray, who only returned to the court last month following an eight-week layoff after damaging his ankle ligaments in late March, hopes to feature in the the men's doubles at Wimbledon alongside his brother, Jamie.
The Scot pulled out of his last match against Jordan Thompson at the Queen's Club Championship on Wednesday. Murray had scans to determine the extent of a problem which left his right leg numb prior to facing Thompson.
Following his Queen's retirement, he explained: "During my pre-match warm-up I was pretty uncomfortable and then I walked up the stairs, just before going on the court, I didn't have the normal strength in my right leg. It was not a usual feeling.
"Then the first two balls I hit in the warm-up, my right leg, it was, like, so uncoordinated. I had no coordination. Then, yeah, my right leg just was not working properly. In hindsight I wish I hadn't gone on there because it was pretty awkward for everyone.
"There is nothing I could do, and then there is part of you that wants to go out there and see if it gets better, you know, and maybe feel better with a bit of treatment or something, but that wasn't the case."
Earlier this week, Murray was named in Great Britain's squad for the upcoming Olympic Games. Despite tumbling down the world rankings to 129th following years of injury hell, the International Tennis Federation awarded Murray a place after winning singles gold in London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Tennis at the Olympics begins on July 27, with Murray nominated to play in both the men's singles and doubles tournaments. His doubles partner is due to be Dan Evans, although his own injury woes could prevent him from featuring.
In February, Murray - who won at SW19 in 2013 and 2016 - made the first public revelation that he plans to retire in the second half of 2024. A few days ago, he doubled down by saying that it would be fitting to end his career at either Wimbledon or the Olympics.
"Probably if I was going to finish my career I would rather finish at Wimbledon or an Olympic Games - to me that would probably be more fitting," he told BBC Sport.
"I've had amazing experiences and memories from Wimbledon, but also being part of British Olympics teams. To get a chance to compete at a fifth one is a reason to stay motivated and continue playing."
Elsewhere, seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic could find himself ruled out of the tournament because of a knee injury and in-turn miss the chance to go level on eight titles with Roger Federer. Should both he and Murray be absent, it would be the first Wimbledon without Rafael Nadal, Federer, Djokovic or Murray since 1998.
2024-06-23T12:03:56Z dg43tfdfdgfd