World No.1 Andy Murray has pulled out of an exhibition match against France’s Lucas Pouille at the Aspall Tennis Classic due to a sore hip.
The Wimbledon champion was set to play his first match since suffering a shock exit at the Queen’s Club last week. In the first round, Murray crashed out in straight sets to Australian lucky loser Jordan Thompson. The loss occurred during what has been a roller coaster past couple of months. Since April, the Brit has failed to reach the final of six consecutive tournaments. On the other hand, he progressed to the semifinals at the French Open before losing to Stan Wawrinka.
It is understood that the decision to withdraw from his match in Hurlingham today is a ‘precautionary measure’ ahead of Wimbledon according to his agent, Matt Gentry. According to British media sources, he said that decision was made because ‘his hip in a bit sore.’
On Monday Murray was spotted moving freely around the court whilst training with Canadian rising star Denis Shapovalov.
Crisp hitting from @andy_murray and @denis_shapo at the #Wimbledon practice courts… pic.twitter.com/OhHbxmMiY1
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 26 June 2017
This season has seen Murray struggle with both health and physical problems. Shortly after the Australian Open he was diagnosed with a spat of the shingles. Then in March he was forced to withdraw from the Miami Masters due to an elbow problem.
Despite the setback, the Brit hopes that he will be able to return to action on Friday, when he is scheduled to play his next exhibition match at the Hurlingham classic.
This year’s tournament, which first started in 2007, features a mixture of both current and retired players. As well as Murray, Rafael Nadal,Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are all set to participate in the event.
