Andy Murray admits he doesn’t know at this stage if he will play at his final Wimbledon after being forced to retire from his match at Queen’s on Wednesday.
The 37-year-old withdrew from his second-round match after just five games against Jordan Thompson, due to a back injury and pain in his right leg.
Speaking in his press conference at Queen’s, Murray stated he will get a scan today, adding that he has been “struggling with his back for quite a while” and had no coordination in his right leg out on court.
Asked whether he will play at Wimbledon, he said: “I wouldn’t know. I didn’t get the right side of my back treated after the French Open [a few weeks ago]. All tennis players have degenerative joints in the back but it’s all predominantly been left-sided for me for pretty much my whole career. I’ve never had too many issues with the right side.
“Maybe there’s something which can be done between now and then [Wimbledon] with my right side – I will have a scan tomorrow and re-check and see what can be done. I don’t know exactly what the problem is. I just know I haven’t experienced that before – the back pain today and yesterday. I don’t know what the procedure will be or what to expect.”
Murray was set to play an exhibition event in Hurlingham next week before Wimbledon, potentially his final tournament before retirement. The former world No 1 has been plagued by fitness issues since injuring his back in 2017.
“I’ve been struggling with my back for a while,” he added. “I had pain in my right leg, no motor control, no co-ordination. And yeah, couldn’t move.
“My back has been a problem for quite a while, it’s been sore in the build-up to the tournament and was pretty sore in my match yesterday and sore through today - but I was able to manage it. It was not comfortable playing, but I was able to manage it.
“During my pre-match warm-up, I was pretty uncomfortable and then I walked up the stairs to go out on court and didn’t have normal strength in my right leg, not a usual feeling. The first two balls I hit in the warm-up, my right leg was so uncordinated. My leg was not working properly.
“I wish I hadn’t gone on court to be honest. I didn’t realise until I was walking to go on court. In hindsight I wish I hadn’t gone on there. It was pretty awkward for everyone, nothing I can do.”
Murray, Britain’s greatest tennis player in the Open Era, stated before Queen’s that he is set to end his 20-year professional career this summer, either after Wimbledon or the Paris Olympics, and was pencilled in to partner older brother Jamie in the doubles at the All England Club – the first time the pair would have combined at a grand slam tournament.
Murray won his first tour-level match in nearly three months on Tuesday, victorious in his 1,000th tour match in three sets against Alexei Popyrin after one hour and 51 minutes, and he showed no clear signs of discomfort afterwards.
Yet it was a different matter 24 hours later and Murray’s pain was clear from the first point, when he did not even attempt to move into position for a routine backhand after a Thompson return.
Murray did miraculously hold serve in the third game, but he was unable to chase down drop-shots with his usual speed and he also looked extremely precarious moving from side to side. A retirement seemed inevitable and it came with Thompson leading 4-1 in the first set.
