Andy Murray withdrew from the men’s tennis singles event after doctors advised him to preserve his body for the doubles event.
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Andy Murray has withdrawn from the men’s tennis singles event at the Tokyo Olympics. Doctors advised him to preserve his body by only focusing on the doubles event.
Tough call for the 2x defending gold medallist. @andy_murray‘s #Tokyo2020 campaign continues in doubles ??#Olympics • #Tennis pic.twitter.com/mYetofX79d
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) July 25, 2021
“I am really disappointed at having to withdraw but the medical staff have advised me against playing in both events, so I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the singles and focus on playing doubles with Joe [Salisbury],” Murray said.
The two-time defending champion was due to face ninth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime on centre court. However, he was replaced by 23-year-old Australian Max Purcell.
Murray was in action on Saturday as part of the men’s double combination. He combined with Team GB teammate Joe Salisbury for the first time in competitive action. The pair saw off second-seeds Pierre Hughes Herbert and Nicolas Mahut from France in straight sets. They beat the pair 6-3, 6-2 in the 75 minutes they needed to spend on court.
Should the British duo go on to win a medal in the men’s doubles tournament, Murray would join an exclusive club of tennis players who have won a medal in each Olympic tennis discipline – singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Murray took silver in mixed doubles alongside Laura Robson in 2012. Team USA’s Venus Williams accomplished the feat at the Rio Olympics. She won silver in mixed doubles alongside Rajeev Ram.
Murray, the only tennis Olympian to win back-to-back singles titles, has suffered from hip issues. He’s currently ranked No. 119 in the world and did not qualify outright for Tokyo, instead of receiving an invitation reserved for former Olympic or Grand Slam tournament winners. However, doubles will now become his primary focus.
