Andy Murray has pulled out of this month’s French Open to prioritise Wimbledon after recently returning from injury. Murray returned to the ATP Tour at the recent Madrid Open, after being absent since the Miami Open at the end of March.
Murray had previously revealed that he would skip the whole of the clay season, but had a change in heart when entering this month’s tournament in the Spanish capital. The Brit put in a string of strong performances to defeat both Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov.
His opening two victories set up a mouthwatering tie against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the round of 16, with two of the sport’s biggest names set to meet for the first time in 2017.
Murray was then forced to pull out of the headline clash due to an illness, handing Djokovic the walkover. And his outing in Spain seems to be his last of the season on clay, after announcing his decision to pull out of Roland Garros.
Ahead of Wimbledon, Murray has discussed the possibility of playing in a second tier event at the Surbiton Trophy in London on May 30, before heading to Stuttgart for an ATP event one week after.
It seems ranking points have not played a part in Murray’s summer plans, as fears over Wimbledon losing its points system for the 2022 event continue to grow. This comes after SW19 bosses decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing due to Vladimir Putin ’s invasion of Ukraine.
The decision has received widespread criticism from a number of stars, with the ATP Players Council reportedly set to vote for Wimbledon to lose their ranking points. Murray himself has revealed he is ‘not supportive’ of the ban, but sympathises that there ‘isn’t a right answer’.
Do you think ranking points should be scrapped from Wimbledon? Let us know in the comments section below.
He said: “I’m not supportive of players getting banned… My understanding of the guidance was that Russians and Belarusians can play if they sign a declaration that they’re against the war and against the Russian regime. I’m not sure how comfortable I would feel if something happened to one of the players or their families [as a result].
“I don’t think there’s a right answer. I have spoken to some of the Russian players. I’ve spoken to some of the Ukrainian players. I feel really bad for the players who aren’t allowed to play and I get that it will seem unfair to them.
“But I also know some of the people who work at Wimbledon, and I know how difficult a position they were in. I feel for everyone, feel for the players that can’t play, and I don’t support one side or the other.”
