Andy Murray has suffered another setback ahead of the French Open with his preparation for the major being hindered by illness.
It is understood that the world No.1 is taking antibiotics to treat the problem, which is yet to be confirmed by a member of Murray’s team. The illness is the latest issue to affect the Brit during what has been a roller coaster year so far. Since February, Murray has suffered from a bout of shingles as well as the flu.
The latest illness comes just days before the start of the second grand slam of the season. Murray has produced a lacklustre performance on the clay so far this year. Since returning to the tour after suffering an elbow injury, the world No.1 has failed to reach the quarter-finals at three consecutive Masters 1000 events. His best performance on the clay occurred at the Barcelona Open when he reached the semifinals before losing to Dominic Thiem.
“The last two or three months have been tough. The start of the year was actually ok.” Murray reflected during an interview with Eurosport.
“It’s not been the best preparation in terms of my level coming in (to the French Open). I have to see what happens when the tournament starts.”
Motivation issues
Murray’s slump in recent week’s has started to take its toll on his mentality. During his first three tournaments of 2017, the 30-year-old achieved a win-loss of 12-2. Since then, he has only managed to win four out of nine matches played on the tour.
Taking part in a promotional photo shoot for Under Armour on Wednesday, Murray admitted that he has been struggling with his motivation since topping the ATP rankings.
“I got to No. 1 in the world at the end of last year,” he told The Telegraph, “and there’s been some times this year where it’s been difficult to keep up the motivation and set new goals.”
On Friday, Murray will learn his French Open fate when the draw is announced. A runner-up last last year, he will be the top seed in the tournament for the first time in his career. Further clarification about Murray’s state of health will be addressed after the draw when he takes part in a pre-tournament press conference.
