Murray suffers injury scare, pulls out with sore hip
LONDON Andy Murray suffered an injury scare ahead of Wimbledon as the world number one pulled out of an exhibition match at the Hurlingham Club due to a sore hip on Tuesday.
Murray had scheduled two matches at the Aspall Tennis Classic event following his shock first round exit against Australian world number 90 Jordan Thompson at Queen’s Club last week. The 30-year-old Scot had been due to face Lucas Pouille, but his management announced on Tuesday that he would not take to the court because his hip was “a bit sore”.
The decision was described as a precaution, with Murray still planning to play the second match against an as-yet-unnamed opponent in west London on Friday.
But it is not the preparation Murray would have wanted as the three-time Grand Slam champion prepares to defend his title at Wimbledon, which gets underway on Monday.
Murray’s difficult season has included a host of fitness problems, including shingles, an elbow injury and two bouts of flu.
SERENA POSES NUDE
NEW YORK Serena Williams is showing off her pregnancy with a nude photo on the cover of the August issue of Vanity Fair.
The tennis superstar is seen in profile with her right arm covering her breasts and her pregnant stomach prominently on display. The magazine unveiled the cover Tuesday. Serena announced her pregnancy with Reddit co-founder Alexis Olhanian in April. The magazine reports the couple will be married in the fall after the baby is born. Williams tells the magazine she “did a double take” and her heart “dropped” when she saw a positive test because it came just before the Australian Open, which she ended up winning.
SERENA ASKS MCENROE FOR RESPECT
NEW YORK: Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, fired back at John McEnroe’s remark that she would only rank about 700th on the men’s tennis circuit.
On Monday, Williams responded in two Twitter postings. “Dear John, I adore and respect you but please please keep me out of your statements that are not factually based,” she wrote. “I’ve never played anyone ranked ‘there’ nor do I have time. Respect me and my privacy as I’m trying to have a baby. Good day sir.” Williams, 35, won this year’s Australian Open for her seventh Melbourne crown and her 23rd Slam singles title, setting an Open Era record and moving one shy of Margaret Court’s all-time Slam singles title record.
FEDERER TO START 2018 AT HOPMAN CUP
SYDNEY Swiss great Roger Federer will use the Hopman Cup in Perth as preparation for the defence of his Australian Open title in 2018, mirroring his successful early season build-up this year.
The18-timeGrandSlamchampion made his long-awaited comeback after six months out with a knee injury at the mixed teams tournament in January, and it served him well.
Against the odds, he went on to defeat old rival Rafael Nadal in a thrilling five-set final at the Australian Open, and followed it up with titles at Miami, Indian Wells and on grass at Halle two days ago.
RAMKUMAR STUNS WORLD NO 8 DOMINIC ANTALYA, TURKEY: India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan notched one of the biggest wins of his tennis career on Tuesday when he cruised into a stunning 6-3, 6-2 win over world no. 8 and top seed, Dominic Thiem of Austria, to reach the quarter-finals of the Antalya Open.
Ramanathan, currently ranked 222 in the world, was a rank outsider going into the match, but created a few ripples when he took the first set 6-3.
Serving second in the second set, Ramanathan broke Thiem early to put the Austrian on the backfoot.
He then wrested completed control of the match after breaking Thiem again in the seventh game of the match to go 5-2 up, before holding his serve to complete a sensational win.
Coming in as a qualifier into the event, Ramanathan had earlier beaten Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 32.
He will next face Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the quarters.