More injury woe for Andy Murray as he pulls out of Miami Open

[ASFN Admin]

Andy Murray has suffered another injury setback, forcing him to withdraw from this week’s Miami Open at short notice. The news is disappointing for a tournament that has already seen a rash of high-profile pull-outs, including the “Big Three” men and Serena Williams. But it is even more of a downer for Murray, who keeps suffering hitches in his attempt to re-establish himself as a regular presence on the ATP Tour. The latest issue is some kind of groin strain which developed unexpectedly at the end of last week. “I had no issues while training,” Murray told The Miami Herald. “I felt fine, did some gym work Friday, no problem, and then I woke up about 3am, felt pain in the groin, not on the side I had my surgery, and when I got out of bed I struggled quite a bit to walk. “I have no idea what I did. It’s one of those freak things. Each day it has gotten progressively better, but it’s not enough. I have not practised since Friday.” Murray’s season thus far has included just three matches at tour level, and only one win - over Robin Haase in Rotterdam earlier this month. His frustration is all the greater after a promising pre-Christmas training block had persuaded him that he was well placed to compete. His first bad break was catching Coronavirus in early January - a misfortune which he blames on lax bio-security standards at the Lawn Tennis Association headquarters in south-west London. Even though he suffered no more than light symptoms, the illness still prevented him from boarding one of Tennis Australia’s dedicated charter flights to Melbourne. Now this latest ****** has ruled him out of a tournament he has won twice, in a city where he keeps a flat overlooking the bay. “I am really gutted,” he said. “This is a place where I have done so much training over the years. It’s like my second home. “Last time I played here was 2016 and so much has happened. In 2017 I had an elbow issue, last few years various issues with my hip. Last year, the day before I was supposed to travel here, Covid stopped the tennis tour. Miami’s been a place that has given me a lot, but this just wasn’t meant to be.” Murray still believes he can compete with the best From the sound of Murray’s comments, he doesn’t expect to be sidelined for long by this issue. Training could potentially resume soon, although the picture is complicated by Miami’s status as the last hard-court event before the tour moves onto clay. The next Masters 1000 tournament - Monte Carlo on April 10 - will probably come too quickly, given Murray’s intention to acclimatise to the clay with a dedicated training block. It has always been his least favoured surface, after all. But the Madrid Masters, starting on May 2, might represent a more realistic target. Or maybe one of the two ATP 250s the previous week - Munich or Estoril - which would provide a gentler level of competition. Either way, Murray remains eager for a chance to measure himself against the best. “I want to be on the courts at Wimbledon and feeling like I have a chance of winning the event,” he told Amazon Prime, in an interview screened last weekend. “I’m aware that that would be extremely tough, but I do genuinely believe it’s possible. “I’m sure some people will think I’m delusional and that my best days are behind me and everything - which may be the case. But I still feel I can compete with the best players in the biggest tournaments.”

Continue reading...