Andy Murray still hopeful of playing Wimbledon but faces ‘pretty important’ fitness test this week
Andy Murray admits he faces a crucial few days in his battle to overcome injury and challenge for a third men’s singles crown at Wimbledon next week.
The former world No1 has not been able to train fully since suffering an abdominal strain during the final of the Stuttgart Open just over a week ago.
“The next couple of days are pretty important for me,” he said. “Obviously the plan is still to play [Wimbledon]. The injury that I had is improving. I’ve had it rescanned since then and it’s progressing in the right way.
“The positive is that I’ve been able to get on the practice court and hit balls and work on a lot of different things, but there’s specific shots that I have not been able to practise and that has obviously hampered the preparations. In the next couple of days, I’ll have to start to increase that and test it to see where it’s at.
“The injury that I have is not a significant injury, but it’s an injury that is tricky for tennis players. You need to manage them well and do everything properly and respect it. I’ve done that so far. Hopefully that will pay dividends come Monday.”
Murray, 35, has in recent months found the best form since undergoing a hip resurfacing operation in 2019, raising hopes of another run at Wimbledon this summer.
The Briton began his grass-court season by reaching the semi-finals in Surbiton a fortnight ago and went one better the following week in Germany, where he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios and only lost in a close final to 2021 All England Club finalist Matteo Berrettini.
But Murray believes that success has come at a cost, with the physical toll of playing so many matches in a short spell contributing to his latest injury.
“It’s frustrating but I played nine matches in two weeks. I haven’t done that since 2016,” he said.
“In some respects, it’s understandable because I was playing at a high level. In the end, I think it was nine matches in 12 days, which is significant, and unfortunately picked up this injury.
“I was feeling good. Everyone that I trust and respect in terms of their opinions on my game and my movement were very happy with how that side of things was going and progressing.
“So it’s frustrating to be in this position in the build-up to Wimbledon. The positive for me is that: that I’ve dealt with certainly worse issues in the last few years and handled them okay.”
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