‘Heavy-hearted’ Murray withdraws from Wimbledon

London: British tennis ace Andy Murray announced that he will not participate in the Wimbledon due to a hip injury.

In a Facebook post, Murray wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that I’m announcing that I’ll be withdrawing from Wimbledon this year.”

“I’ve made significant progress in practice and matches over the last ten days, but after lengthy discussions with my team, we’ve decided that playing best of five set matches might be a bit too soon in the recovery process. We did everything we could to try to be ready in time,” he added.

The 31-year-old further said that he would start practising from Monday for the US hardcourt season.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei player Jason Jung will replace Murray in the draw and will lock horns with France’s Benoit Paire on Tuesday, ESPN reported.

Murray, who returned to the Queen’s Club Championships two weeks ago, said that he was doubtful about his comeback, but was ready for the Wimbledon challenge.

“I’m pumped. Four or five weeks ago, I didn’t know whether I’d be capable of competing at a level I’d be happy with. I think the past couple of weeks have been beneficial. I don’t think I played amazing in the matches, but I think I’ve done well, considering the opponents, the level of the guys that I’ve played against,” he said.

Murray is a two-time Wimbledon champion, who defeated Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in 2013, and Milos Raonic of Canada in straight sets in 2016.

During his victory in 2013, he became the first British Wimbledon champion in 77 years. (ANI)