WATCH: Emotional Andy Murray says he ‘feels terrible’ after injury setback – ‘I’m really sorry’

Shahida Jacobs
Andy Murray in action
Andy Murray reacts during his tennis match

There was a lump in Andy Murray’s throat as he had to inform the Canadian Open crowd about his last-minute withdrawal from his clash against Jannik Sinner.

On the back of wins over Lorenzo Sonego and Max Purcell at the ATP Masters 1000 event, three-time Grand Slam champion Murray would have been confident ahead of his last-16 clash against eighth seed Jannik on Thursday. However, his injury woes returned as he was forced to withdraw because of an abdominal injury.

He delivered the news to the crowd at the Sobeys Stadium in Toronto himself and it all got a bit too much for him.

“There is an issue with my abdominal so unfortunately I am not going to be able to play this evening. I’m really sorry. I know I feel like I have let you down,” the 36-year-old told spectators.

“I’ve rarely been in this situation in my career and I feel terrible.”

A follow-up statement from tournament organisers added a bit more context as Murray revealed that it was not the first time that he had struggled with an abdominal problem in recent years.

“I had a very similar issue last year in the tournament in Stuttgart before Wimbledon which forced me to miss the Queen’s Club tournament and I was able to play Wimbledon,” the former world No 1 said. “It took me about 10 to 12 days before I was feeling good again.

“This is not as bad as that but obviously the danger if you compete and play on it is you make it worse.

“So, I’ll need to see how it develops over the coming days and hopefully feel better in a few days. I’m really sorry. Thank you.”

It remains to be seen if Murray – who had moved up to No 36 in the Live Rankings following his two wins in Toronto – will now play at the Cincinnati Open next week with the tournament getting underway on Monday.

It also raises questions about his US Open participation, although he still has more than enough time to recover as the final Grand Slam of the year will only get underway on August 28.

Sinner will face Gael Monfils in the quarter-final after the Frenchman continued his impressive comeback with a 6-4, 6-4 win over lucky loser Aleksander Vukic from Australia.

READ MORE: Andy Murray admits ‘another injury could be the end’

Related Articles