Andy Murray pulls out of Wimbledon singles but commits to doubles

Andy Murray 19-year Wimbledon singles career has come to an end after a back injury forced him to withdraw from the men’s draw at his final championships on the morning of his scheduled first round match on Tuesday.

The two-time Wimbledon singles champion was due to play Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic on Centre Court, but after leaving the decision to the very last moment he was unable to sufficiently recover from the back surgery he underwent 10 days ago. Murray has confirmed that he will compete alongside his older brother, Jamie, in the men’s doubles this week and the Paris Olympics will be the final tournament of his career.

“I decided this morning,” said Murray on Tuesday. “I slept on it. I told my team and my family that I didn’t think I was going to play based on how I felt yesterday. I practised pretty well. I was playing pretty good but I just wasn’t happy with how my leg was feeling. I wanted to sleep on it and make sure I was happy with the decision and also to give myself a chance when I woke up this morning to see if it felt much better.

“I ran around a bit at home this morning when I got up. It just wasn’t where I wanted it to be unfortunately. Probably a few days too soon but I am proud, I worked extremely hard to at least give myself a chance to play.”

“I’m sorry for everyone that came and wanted to support and watch again. I wanted that moment as well, as much for me as the people who have supported me over the years. The fans but also my closest friends, family, my team. It was important for me to do that with them as well. It’s one of those things. The timing was horrible, the surgery was a complex one and it wasn’t to be.”

Murray’s preparations suffered a devastating blow two weeks ago when the 37-year-old was forced to withdraw from Queen’s due to pain and numbness in his back and right leg. He underwent back surgery to remove a spinal cyst, which had been compressing nerves in his back.

Even though some doctors had suggested that it would take as long as six to 12 weeks for Murray to recover from his surgery, he was fit enough to train on-site over the past few days. Although he made dramatic progress since the surgery, Murray’s movement was still extremely limited: “Where I am at, 10 days after the operation, in comparison of where I was told I would be and my expectations were, I think it is incredible really,” said Murray.

But the prospect of facing a top player in Machac, who is ranked No 39, in the best of five sets format was too much. When he retired at Queen’s after five painful games Murray said he wished he had never taken to the court as it was an incredibly awkward spectacle for the audience and fans. Murray did not want his final memory at Wimbledon to be a similarly excruciating experience.

Three hours after the announcement, Murray returned to Aorangi Park, the training facilities at Wimbledon, alongside his brother as their focus instantly shifted to doubles, where they will likely face a tough unseeded Australian pairing of John Peers and Rinky Hijikata. Despite his disappointment, Murray stopped for the press after his training session and answered every question. Murray also carried the risk of reopening the wound from the keyhole surgery, although he had suggested that he was OK with assuming those risks.

“I’m disappointed,” he said. “I wanted to play in the tournament and I wanted to have a chance to go out there, walk out on my own on the centre court again and give it another go. I also was only going to give it a go if I felt like I could be competitive and I didn’t feel like that today.

Murray said his attempts to recover in time were motivated by the simple hope of competing at Wimbledon one last time. He won two of his three grand slam titles at Wimbledon, becoming the first British man in 77 years to win the title in 2013 before he did so again three years later. He also won an Olympic singles gold medal at Wimbledon at London 2012.

While those hopes were not fulfilled, Murray will still enjoy a sentimental farewell alongside Jamie, who at 38 is a former doubles No 1: “Getting the opportunity to play with Jamie here will be special - we’ve never done that before,” he said. “I’ll make the most of it. It’s easier said than done to just enjoy it when you’re out there because you’re competing, concentrating and trying to win the match. But yeah, hopefully we can have a good run.”

As he discussed his final days at Wimbledon, Murray additionally confirmed that he will play the Olympic Games, where he is a two-time singles gold medallist and a mixed doubles silver medallist, and it will be the final tournament of his career. Murray will definitely compete in men’s doubles there after officially making the entry list cut alongside Dan Evans and he will decide on his singles participation in Paris based on how his injury continues to recover in the coming weeks.