The telegraph
More injuries to Andy Murray when he leaves the Miami Open
Andy Murray suffered another injury setback, forcing him to withdraw from this week’s Miami Open in a short space of time. The news is disappointing for a tournament that has seen a series of high-profile withdrawals, including the men “Big Three” and Serena Williams. But it is even more depressing for Murray, who continues to struggle with his attempt to re-establish himself as a regular on the ATP Tour. The last problem is some kind of groin injury that developed unexpectedly at the end of last week. “I had no problems during training,” Murray told The Miami Herald. “I felt good, I did gymnastics on Friday, no problems, and then I woke up around 3 am, I had pain in my groin, not on the side where I had the surgery, and when I got out of bed I had difficulty walking. “I have no idea what I did. It’s one of those weird things. Each day gets better and better, but it is not enough. I haven’t practiced since Friday. Murray’s season so far has included just three tournament-level matches and just one win – over Robin Haase in Rotterdam earlier this month. His frustration is even greater after a promising prenatal training block convinced him that he was well placed to compete. His first bad chance was catching Coronavirus in early January – a disgrace he attributes to the loose biosafety standards at the Lawn Tennis Association’s headquarters in south-west London. Although he suffered no more than mild symptoms, the illness prevented him from embarking on one of Tennis Australia’s dedicated charter flights to Melbourne. Now, this last little thing has excluded him from a tournament he won twice, in a city where he keeps an apartment overlooking the bay. “I am very devastated,” he said. “This is a place where I have been training a lot over the years. It’s like my second home. “I really just want to be on the court competing,” added Murray, in a separate interview. “I can’t be bothered to do another eight or ten weeks of rehab. It is hard work and now I am finding it more difficult to motivate myself to do all the rehabilitation if I am not going to be able to compete in the biggest events. That’s why this was like, f —— hell, just give me time for this event so I can compete against these guys in a big tournament and see what I can still do. Murray still believes he can compete with the best. From the sound of Murray’s comments, he does not expect to be marginalized for long on this issue. Training may be resumed soon, although the situation is complicated by Miami’s status as the last hard court event before the tour hits clay. The next Masters 1000 tournament – Monte Carlo on April 10 – is likely to come too fast, given Murray’s intention to acclimatize to clay with a dedicated training block. After all, its surface has always been less favored. But the Madrid Masters, as of May 2, may represent a more realistic target. Or perhaps one of the two ATP 250s from the previous week – Munich or Estoril – that would provide a smoother level of competition. Either way, Murray remains eager for a chance to compare himself to the best. “I want to be on the Wimbledon courts and feel like I have a chance to win the event,” he told Amazon Prime, in an interview aired last weekend. “I am aware that this would be extremely difficult, but I really believe that it is possible. “I am sure that some people will think that I am delusional and that my best days are behind me and everything – which may be the case. But I still feel like I can compete with the best players in the biggest tournaments. “