Murray beaten by Gasquet on return to singles action

Scot makes decision after losing comeback singles match in Cincinnati

Andy Murray has decided not to play singles at the US Open later this month following his return to action at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The32-year-old-former world-number one went down 6-4 6-4 to Frenchman Richard Gasquet in his first round match seven months after undergoing career-saving hip surgery.

He later announced that he plans to play only men’s and mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows, but insisted the decision was nothing to do with how he had fared against Gasquet.

Murray told the ATP Tour’s official website: “We were hoping to maybe hold a wild card until a little bit closer to the time to see how I feel and get some matches hopefully and a bit of practice.

“(It was) a decision I made with my team. I didn’t want to take a wild card today because I just didn’t know how I was going to feel after a match.

“I felt like I wanted to be fair, for me to maybe try and get a couple of matches in before making a decision like that.”

Murray, who may play singles at Winston-Salem next week, looked rusty as Gasquet tested his mobility, but was adamant nothing that happened on the court had influenced his decision.

He said: “If I would have taken the wild card and then not played, then I would have been getting loads of questions about my hip and, ‘Why has he turned it down? Is something wrong? What’s the problem?’.

“It was more likely that I was not going to (play) because although I did fine in the match today, physically my legs felt quite heavy at the end, and that’s probably not going to change a whole lot in a couple of weeks.”

Murray has nursed himself back into the game since his return from surgery, playing five doubles tournaments since June.

Understandably he started slowly against Gasquet and struggled to find a first serve.

The twice Wimbledon and Olympic champion surrendered his service in the opening game and came within a point of a 3-0 deficit before rallying to lead 3-2.

However, Gasquet tested him to the full, including with a series of drop shots, before taking the first set 6-4.

The second set started in much the same fashion, the Frenchman establishing a 2-0 lead, but Murray repeatedly threatened to break while holding his own service with increasing confidence, before eventually succumbing 6-4 once again.

Gasquet will next meet fourth seed Dominic Thiem.

Picture: Getty Images. Andy Murray acknowledges the crowd as he leaves court after his defeat.