-
Tom Hamilton, lead writer
Andy Murray said he still hopes to play at Wimbledon just days after undergoing spinal surgery and confirmed that if he is fit to play there and at the Paris Olympics, he will likely retire from tennis .
Murray, 37, underwent surgery to treat a spinal cyst on June 22 – an operation that typically comes with a six-week recovery period. As Wimbledon begins on July 1, Murray is still hoping to make a miracle comeback for the championships. However, he said there was a greater chance his participation would be in doubles alongside his brother Jamie.
The Wimbledon draw takes place on Friday and Murray – who has won the men’s singles title twice – has said he will wait until the last minute to decide whether or not he is fit for the tournament.
“I think I deserve the opportunity to give him until the very last moment to make that decision,” Murray said Thursday. “If I had to play on Monday, maybe I know that on Sunday I have no chance of being able to play. But also if it progresses… I’m on the field yesterday and I can go there and I’m moving more today Today and I start doing more tennis moves and such, I won’t necessarily know how that’s going to change over the next 48 to 72 hours.”
Doubles presents an alternative option for Murray if he is unable to play singles, as it starts later in the Wimbledon schedule.
“The rate at which I’m improving at the moment, if that were to continue, then another 72 to 96 hours would make a huge difference. It’s complicated, and it’s even more complicated because I want to play Wimbledon once again. more,” Murray said. said.
“I want to have this opportunity to play the tournament, and I know some people might look at that and say, ‘Withdrawing from a tournament late at the last minute is not the right thing to do.’ But I feel like I deserve the opportunity to try to play there again and I want to have that opportunity, so I’m going to give it as long as possible to see if I recover well.
“I’m going to wait until the last minute to see if I’m going to be able to do it and I’ve earned that right to do it. It’s not clear where I’ll be 100% ready to play or there’s a 0% chance that I can play. That’s the situation. I would say it’s probably more likely that I won’t be able to play singles at the moment. I’m also doing rehab 24/7 to try to. give me this opportunity to play it again.”
Murray also confirmed his retirement plans. Murray – who won the men’s singles title at the 2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon and 2016 Wimbledon – said in February that he does not plan to play much beyond this summer and that he hopes to play both at Wimbledon and Paris. Olympic Games before walking away from the sport.
“All the discussions and conversations I have had with my team indicate that I will not play beyond this summer,” Murray said. “Obviously I had the conversation with my family and booked a family vacation the week after the Olympics.
“I have no plans to go to New York (for the US Open). But I also don’t want the last time I played on a tennis court to be what happened spent at Queen’s Once again, I know that there are more important things in the world than how I finished playing my last tennis match or where I finished playing my last match of. tennis.
“But because of what I’ve invested in the sport over the last few years, I would like to at least play a real match where I’m at least competitive, not what happened at Queen’s.
“I can’t say for sure that if I wasn’t able to play Wimbledon and I hadn’t recovered in time to play the Olympics that I wouldn’t consider trying to play another tournament somewhere. But if I’m able to play Wimbledon and if I’m able to play the Olympics, that’ll probably be it, yeah.
Murray first became aware of the cyst after Roland Garros. It was “fairly small and increased significantly in size over the next two to three weeks,” he said. After winning in the first round at Queen’s, Murray was then forced to withdraw from the second round on 19 June after experiencing loss of coordination and shooting pains in his back and right leg. He then sought the advice of several surgeons, but all came back saying he needed surgery.
“Although the operation was not major, the problem was serious, because if the cyst continues to grow — obviously at Queen’s, I basically lost the strength, coordination and everything in my right leg in going to the field — you’re likely to have other complications as well,” Murray said.
“Obviously I couldn’t risk that or allow that to happen because I was struggling to walk properly because my nerves were really compressed.
“So I had to have surgery, but I was also given several different timelines for how long it would take. And I was also informed that if I decided to try to play at Wimbledon, there was a some risk associated with that, and it was whether or not I’m willing to take that risk.
“But also, even if there is potentially a risk, I obviously had surgery, the operation went very, very well and I am recovering very well. I hit a few balls yesterday (Wednesday). I am not in much pain, but the nature of nerve damage is that it is quite slow to recover.
“I wish I could have gone to Wimbledon this year with a good grass court season under my belt and well prepared and ready to go. I certainly couldn’t prepare for Wimbledon in a worse way. But it can be -be that’s how it happens. “It was supposed to happen for me. Playing with Jamie in doubles is something I’ve obviously never done before. It can also be special. “