Andy could be out until the summer
Fears of delay to comeback
FEARS are growing that Andy Murray will not be able to make his comeback until the summer’s grass-court season due to further injury complications related to his hip.
The entry list for next month’s Miami Open has been published, with no mention in the accompanying publicity of a player who has twice been champion there and twice runner-up. Meanwhile, sources have told
Sportsmail that getting himself right for the grass courts in June is now a more realistic target for the 32-year-old Scot.
Miami, which starts on March 25, has been one of Murray’s favourite tournaments in a city where he has a base. If he does not make it back for this year’s edition, the ATP Tour then switches to clay, which is his most difficult surface in terms of movement.
With his ranking of 128 far too low to make an extremely strong field, he has been placed on the list of alternate entries for the event. In theory, he could still be given a main draw wildcard, but there has been no hint of this materialising.
Since pulling out of the Australian tournaments, Murray (below) has been keeping a very low profile in terms of public appearances and social media.
Last week, he responded to an Instagram post from Stan Wawrinka, who was bemoaning the fact that being unable to practise was putting him in a ‘Monday mood’. ‘That’s been every Monday for me for the last three years pretty much,’ replied Murray.
He had been due to play in Montpellier last week and Rotterdam this week, before pulling out. Murray did post a sponsor-related clip of himself last week training in the gym, and it appears that he is still trying everything possible to get himself back to competition.
This, however, is clearly proving more difficult than expected. He has not been able to play injury-free for nearly four months now after his heartwarming triumph at the European Open in Antwerp on October 20.
The one match he was able to play was in late November at the Davis Cup finals, but his movement was laboured as he struggled to defeat little-known Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
He revealed afterwards that he had been suffering from ‘pelvic bruising’ in the wake of the four-week run that culminated in his triumph in Antwerp.
Murray is, of course, completely entitled not to reveal any further details of his condition, but it is evidently not a case of ordinary bruising as most people would understand it. Were he to come back on the grass, having missed the clay-court season for the third straight year, then his first opportunity would be the Surbiton Challenger which starts on June 1. That comes ahead of ATP events at Nottingham, Queen’s, Eastbourne and Wimbledon, where he is desperate to make at least one more singles appearance.
JO KONTA, who skipped the Fed Cup last week, lost her third straight opening match of the season when she was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by world No159 Oceane Dodin of France at the St Petersburg Open.