Andy Murray has been ruled out of Queen’s due to an abdominal injury amid fears his Wimbledon participation is in doubt. The Brit reached his first grass court final in six years in Stuttgart yesterday, but was defeated by Matteo Berrettini in a competitive three-set match.
The former British number one was hoping for another strong showing at the Wimbledon warm-up event, which he has won five times in the past. But the 35-year-old made the shock announcement before he was due to begin his campaign against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego tomorrow.
"After having a scan this afternoon, an abdominal injury means I won't be fit to compete at Queen's this year," Murray said. "The tournament means a lot to me, and it's disappointing not to compete, especially after playing some good matches on the grass already." He has been replaced by lucky loser Denis Kudla of the United States.
Murray skipped the clay-court season in the hope he could best prepare for the slick low bouncing surface and ultimately perform at the All-England Club. With Wimbledon just a fortnight away, Murray faces a race against time to be fit for the tournament he has won twice in the past.
He began to feel some discomfort in his abdomen during Sunday’s final against the world number 10. "I got some pain in my ab when I was serving. Not something I've had before," Murray said. "I'll need to get it checked when I get home." Despite the tough defeat coupled with his ab problem, the two-time Olympic champion was pleased to reach his 70th career final.
In his on-court interview after the match, Murray addressed the crowd and said: "It's my first time at the tournament and I really enjoyed it. The team here did a fantastic job looking after all of the players and put on a great event. The fans, the whole week, were brilliant. We had great support during most of the matches and a fantastic atmosphere over the weekend.
"So thank you so much to all of you who came out to support us the last few days. It was really, really nice. Thank you."
"Obviously some good wins; it was a good week, but not the way I wanted to finish the week," Murray added after his ATP Mercedes Cup came to an end.
"I felt like I was playing well enough to win and I got myself in a really good position going into the third set - so a frustrating end to what was a good week." This week Murray jumped back into the top 50 following last week’s performances, which saw him beat world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios.
