Cincinnati (USA) (AFP)
Scotland's Andy Murray announced on Monday night that he will not be lining up for singles at the US Open (August 26-September 8), following his missed return to singles in Cincinnati, where he was eliminated in the first round.
The former N.1 world, now ranked 325th in the ATP rankings, announced his decision after his defeat to Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 6-4, Monday.This was his first match in singles since seven months.
"I will not play in singles at the US Open," said Murray after the match. "It's a decision I made with my team."
The 32-year-old explained that he still has some way to go before he regains his optimal physical shape and that he will limit his activities to singles. The match challenge in the best of 5 sets seems too important to him while he underwent a hip operation last January.
He has however scheduled to be in double and mixed doubles at the last Grand Slam of the year.
Murray was offered a wild card by the organizers of the US Open, but had to give his decision on Monday, before even playing his match against Gasquet.
"I did not know how I was going to feel after this game, I would have needed to test myself more and do some matches like this before making such a decision, but even if I had a week or two ten more days to decide, I had no certainty that I would have been able to play, "he said.
The Scotsman left the door open for a possible participation in singles at the tournament Winston-Salem (North Carolina), which begins Monday. "Maybe I'll play," he said simply.
© 2019 AFP