Not the end of world for Murray – Federer

Roger Federer believes Andy Murray made the right decision to withdraw from Wimbledon, insisting it’s “not the end of the world” for the two-time winner.

Murray, 31, pulled out on Sunday, less than 24 hours before the start of the tournament, fearing that his long-standing hip injury would not cope with the rigours of two weeks of five-set tennis.

“It must be a tough decision but one he’s taking for his career, and his life as well,” said eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer.

“I think it’s probably a wise decision. He would give everything to play here and that’s why it hurts.”

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Murray, the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon winner, had only just returned to action after 11 months on the sidelines due to a hip injury that needed surgery in January.

He originally suffered the setback in a five-set loss to Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals at the All England Club last July.

“It’s with regret I’m withdrawing from Wimbledon,” Murray, who played just three matches in his comeback, said in a statement.

“I’ve made significant progress in practice and matches over the last 10 days but, after lengthy discussions with my team and with a heavy heart, we’ve decided that playing best-of-five-set matches might be a bit too soon in the recovery process.”

Murray, whose ranking is down to 156, will now turn his attention to the American hard-court season that culminates in the US Open.

He is next scheduled to play in Washington beginning on July 30.

“We did everything we could to try to be ready in time. I will start practising on the hard courts and continuing with my rehab and recovery and I’m looking forward to the US hard-court season,” Murray added.

Reuters