MURRAY’S OUT

Andy withdraws from Wimbledon at last minute but insists: I WILL be back

Andy MurrAy pledged last night that he will return to Wimbledon as a player despite making a last-ditch withdrawal from this year’s Championships. The two-time champion’s world ranking will plummet to around 840 after he announced that he did not consider his hip could stand up to the rigours of a five-set match. ‘If I was thinking I would not play Wimbledon again, it would be a different decision to make and I would be out there and just playing to enjoy it and potentially play my last Wimbledon,’ said Murray (below), who will continue practising in the coming weeks. ‘But I want to play for a couple more years and hopefully be back competing at the top of the game, and I need to bear that in mind when I am making decisions right now. I don’t have any regrets in terms of anything I’ve done. ‘I have practised as much as I could, I’ve trained as much as I was allowed, following what I’ve

been told by my team and the medical professionals around me. I didn’t decide when I was going to play at Queen’s (two weeks ago) that that meant also that I was going to play at Wimbledon. ‘I had to wait a bit to see how my body responded to the matches and the practising against the top players before making a decision about that.’ Murray later posted on Instagram: ‘Thanks for all the messages of support. Sorry for anyone who feels let down but I need to look at the bigger picture with regards to my health right now and I’ve made good progress the last month. ‘Sad to be missing @wimbledon but look forward to competing there next year. If anyone needs a coach over the next couple weeks give me a buzz!’ His next tournament is due to be the Citi Open in Washington at the end of this month.