MURRAY OUT AS HE LOSES FITNESS RACE
ANDY MURRAY had come into the interview room on Saturday, made optimistic noises about playing at Wimbledon despite a long-term injury, only to pull out around Sunday teatime on the eve of the tournament. When that happened in 2007 — due to a wrist problem — you knew he still had a long career ahead of him that was likely to bring great future success. You could hardly feel the same way as history repeated itself yesterday afternoon, when it emerged that he was, after all, going to miss what is now his fourth Grand Slam in succession. This has become, sadly, something of a habit in the wake of the degenerative hip condition that first became evident a year ago. There cannot be much certainty about what will come next. Murray tried his damnedest but it turns he was unrealistic in his expectations of what he could bring to the event, resulting in more last-minute disappointment. At least on this occasion it will not interfere with the wider draw, as was the case at last summer’s US Open. That was when the seeds had to be shuffled and Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer ended up in the same half, to their barely disguised displeasure. Into Wimbledon comes a lucky loser from qualifying, the highly rated teenager Jason Jung of Taipei, and there will be no complaints from him or the man Murray was due to play, Frenchman Benoit Paire. While they are facing off tomorrow the 31 year-old Scot will be on an anonymous hard court somewhere, trying to prepare for the tournaments in North America that follow Wimbledon. Ivan Lendl, the coach who was at his side for all three Grand Slam triumphs, was present for his late pullout at Flushing Meadows, but departed the scene in November, seemingly having become somewhat semi-detached. Since then there has been a succession of no-shows, interrupted by appearances at Queen’s and Eastbourne in the past fortnight. ‘This morning I spoke with all of my team and my doctor, as well,’ explained Murray. ‘I was just sort of feeling that I was not ready and willing to play — not to take a chance. ‘I didn’t know how I was going to respond to playing five-set matches.’ What is clear is that his previously stated pledge of not coming back until he was 100 per cent was being compromised. ‘I was kind of just reflecting a little bit on the last 10 days... It’s been a positive two weeks,’ insisted Murray. ‘Considering the circumstances, I think I competed pretty well against the level of opposition that I was up against. ‘What I didn’t want to do was to start the tournament, potentially win my first match, and then withdraw because I didn’t feel good. I didn’t feel that was the right thing to do, either. ‘I said on Saturday that normally when I am getting ready for Wimbledon, I’m feeling nervous, stressed and excited. I didn’t really feel that way this time. I didn’t feel like I was going to win the tournament, I didn’t feel I was going to do extremely well in the tournament.’ The year started with him in Queensland for the Brisbane International, where he withdrew only once the draw was made. That was followed by a retreat from the Australian Open, where he officially announced he was heading home to consider his options, only to undergo surgery in Melbourne four days later. The Lawn Tennis Association obligingly created two Challenger events, in Glasgow and Loughborough, for a mooted comeback in Spring. Their main use turned out to be as comeback platforms for compatriots James Ward and Dan Evans. The post-French Open Rosmalen ATP grass court event came and went with another withdrawal, until his highly encouraging return at Queen’s, where he nearly beat Nick Kyrgios over two hours and 39 minutes. He reported that, while he felt bad the next day, within 48 hours he was much improved. When he managed two matches in Eastbourne — the second was a deflating loss to British number one Kyle Edmund — there seemed every expectation that Wimbledon, with its day’s rest between matches, was on. That was all abruptly reversed yesterday. There was a hint of euphoria in Murray’s voice back on January 8 in the aftermath of what he felt was a successful operation. The journey since has been hard, and the destination remains
unknown.