The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Murray ‘not quite ready to return’
Tennis coach and mum of champions speaks at Perth event
Andy Murray’s competitive return has been delayed, raising fresh doubts about his participation at Wimbledon.
The former world tennis No 1 has not played since he was knocked out at Wimbledon last July due to a hip injury.
Murray insists he remains hopeful of returning at this year’s tournament, but the Scot has now pulled out of his planned comeback event in Holland, which starts on Monday.
Having only returned to the practice court over the last couple of days, Murray faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon on July 2.
“It is with regret that I won’t be ready to play in Hertogenbosch,” he said.
“I was excited to play there for the first time, but I am not quite ready to return. I am still aiming to play in the coming weeks, but I want to be 100% when I do return.”
The news came hours after Novak Djokovic cast doubt over his participation at Wimbledon (see page 46) after bowing out of the French Open.
The two-time Olympic champion underwent hip surgery in Australia in January after pulling out of the Australian Open.
The 31-year-old Scot will make a decision on whether he will enter the Fever-tree Championships at Queen’s Club, which begins on June 18, next week.
Earlier, in a promotional video for Jaguar, Murray spoke about the lengthy absence which has seen him lose his position as British No 1 to Kyle Edmund and drop to 47 in the world.
“It’s been very slow, I’ve been out getting close to a year now which is a lot longer than I expected at the beginning,” he said.
“I’m getting closer to playing again, I’ve started training a few days ago, hoping to make my comeback during the grass court season.”
Murray has twice won Wimbledon, in 2013 and 2016, and insists he hopes to be in contention again.
“I’m hoping I’ll be there,” he added.
“Roger Federer has got a phenomenal record on grass, he’ll definitely be up there as one of the favourites.”
Murray’s mother Judy revealed on Monday her son was back on the practice courts.
She told BBC Sport: “He’s doing the rehabilitation. He’s been back on the court in the last couple of days.
“He will be guided by his body and how he feels. He is the only person who knows how he feels.
“The most important thing is he gets fit again for the long term and any top athlete would tell you they would not come back until they felt they could give 100%, especially in a major like Wimbledon.”
Sexism, “pushy mother” accusations and the trials of raising competitive sons were all on the table when Judy Murray spoke at a conference in Perth yesterday.
The coach, author and mother of two of the world’s most successful tennis players was a keynote speaker at the Association of Scottish Businesswomen’s Unstoppable Women event at Perth Theatre.
Mrs Murray had the audience in stitches with anecdotes of training sons Andy and Jamie into champions and their constant attempts to better each other growing up.
But it was not all laughs, as she explained the sexism she faced as a
“There’s nothing wrong with being a competitive mum but a lot of people made me feel like there was. JUDY MURRAY
female coach and how it felt to be branded a pushy parent.
“I didn’t set out to make my children champions when they were little, I really wanted them to enjoy sport as much as I did,” she said.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a competitive mum but a lot of people made me feel like there was.”
Mrs Murray, who lives in Dunblane, remains determined to stop prejudice against women and runs a number of initiatives to introduce girls into tennis.
“There were constant knockbacks for funding and support and I never knew if it was because nobody understood tennis or because I’m a woman and a mum of two,” she said.
“I suspect it did have something to do with that and now I never let them forget it.
“I really believe that if we all stick together, believe in ourselves and work hard then we will smash the glass ceiling and one day women will rule the world!”
ecrichton@thecourier.co.uk