Due to an injury sustained in the first set of his Queen’s second-round match against Jordan Thompson, Andy Murray was forced to quit.
The Scottish player, who has recently battled a back issue and had an ankle ligament rupture this season, was competing in what is most likely going to be his final tournament participation in London.
Andy Murray, who was forced to withdraw early from his Queen’s second-round match due to injury, is optimistic that he will be able to compete at Wimbledon.
He appeared to hurt himself during the warm-up with Jordan Thompson, and even though he made an effort to get the game started, it was quickly apparent that he would not be able to go on.
“Let’s hope it will be okay with some rest and treatment, and I’ll still be able to play [at Wimbledon],” Murray said following the match.
“I’m not precisely sure what the issue is. That was something new for me. I have no idea what the possibilities are for treatment or how long it will take to get better.
“When I walked up the stairs before going out, and in the pre-match warm-up, my back was uncomfortable.”Everyone could see there was a problem, so it was awkward, and I wasn’t sure if I should keep playing or stop. It’s depressing. Looking back, I regret going onto the court.”
After hobbling onto the court, Murray appeared to be having trouble warming up before the match. He stretched his leg and hardly made a move before serving.
The match did start, but Thompson had more than enough power to easily handle some mediocre serves after Murray gave up a break of serve in the second game.
Murray defeated Alexei Popyrin in three sets in the first round, and it appeared that the loss might have affected him because he was unable to push off on any of his serves.
In the third game, he did manage to win a point, and the crowd erupted in a display of support for their favorite, which he dutifully continued.
However, Murray asked for the trainer after his opponent had taken a 2-1 lead. It appeared to be a lower back ailment, which he later verified was new, rather than the ongoing issue that he had been dealing with ever since recovering from his ankle injury.
When play restarted, Thompson was trying his hardest to stay focused at the other end of the court, doing what he had to, but Murray was the center of attention.
The Scot recently stated that he believes retiring at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 would be appropriate, but a lot would depend on how healthy he remains going forward.
Murray decided that enough was enough when the trainer returned with Thompson up 4-1. He approached his opponent directly to shake hands, receiving encouraging cheers from the audience.
It’s never how you want things to end, particularly when dealing with a champion like Andy. Thompson tried his best to console the stunned spectators as he walked off the court, most possibly for the last time at a tournament in which he had won a record five times. “This tournament, he’s dominated, he loves the grass,” Thompson remarked after the match.
With Wimbledon just a few months away, people are now wondering if Murray will be able to compete in the third Grand Slam of the year and how serious this most recent injury is.
Sebastian Korda defeated Grigor Dimitrov in three sets earlier at Queen’s after an exciting and excellent performance. He defeated the third seed in almost two hours, and he will now face qualifier Rinky Hijikata in the quarterfinals.
Hijikata had begun play on center court on Wednesday, securing a first-ever encounter with Korda by overcoming Italian Matteo Arnaldi in two tie-breaks.
Carlos Alcaraz was given a day off on Wednesday, and it looks like he will face Jack Draper on Thursday at Queen’s in the second round.
Milos Raonic and Taylor Fritz, two 6’5″ big servers, faced up in the final singles encounter of the day. Naturally, there were no break points in the opening set, and Fritz narrowly prevailed in a tiebreak despite Fritz’s sudden tightening of his serve and unforced errors at critical times.
Early in the second set, Fritz did give up three break points but was able to hold, and it appeared as though the match would go to a second tiebreak. However, Fritz broke the Canadian for the first time at 4-4 in the second after sneaking a down the line victory.
The American dutifully served it out, winning 7-6 (5) 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals where she would face Thompson.
