Andy Murray has been left absolutely devastated after withdrawing from the Miami Open from an injury that has left him baffled.
The tail-end of Murray’s glittering career has been rocked with devastating injuries and contemplated retirement after the 2019 Australian Open.
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But the Scot has been plugging away on Tour in an attempt to resurrect his career.
But in an unfortunate twist, Murray missed this year’s Australian Open when he tested positive for coronavirus.
Murray was able to play at the World Tennis Tournament and more importantly was able to carve out a victory against Robin Haase 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3.
The three-time Grand Slam winner had also signalled his intention to play at the illustrious Miami Open after receiving a wildcard, despite many tennis stars including Roger Federer and Serena Williams withdrawing.
But in a devastating twist, Murray has also withdrawn due to an innocuous injury.
“I had no issues while training, felt fine, did some gym work Friday, no problem. Then I woke up about three in the morning, felt pain in the groin, not on the side I had my surgery,” Murray said, according to the Miami Herald.
“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.”
Murray has been aiming to get some games under his belt before this year’s Wimbledon.
Murray ‘demoralised’ after Miami Open withdrawal
Murray expanded on his disappointment at his latest setback in the UK Times.
“I was pumped to come and have the opportunity to play here. I felt good and travelled over, practised, had no issues and then this happened. It is obviously very frustrating and a bit demoralising. It’s gutting,” he said to the UK publication.
“The reason I am doing all of that stuff is to get back on the court and compete. It’s hard work and now I am finding it harder to get motivated to do all the rehab and everything if I’m not going to be able to compete in the biggest events.
“That is why this one was like, ‘f***ing hell, just give me a break for this one event so that I can compete against these guys at a big tournament and see what I am still able to do.’”
State of Emergency in Miami
Disturbing scenes in Miami have highlighted why a number of top tennis stars may have been unwilling to travel to the Miami Open for the first Masters 1000 tournament of the year.
Williams joined Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer in withdrawing from the prestigious event on Sunday.
This year’s Miami Open is taking place against a backdrop of declining COVID-19 numbers in the United States, as the vaccine rollouts gather pace.
However authorities in Miami Beach imposed a state of emergency and a curfew on Saturday to deal with rowdy throngs of people partying during spring break.
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