Andy Murray said he is still hopeful of playing at Wimbledon just days after having spinal surgery and confirmed that if he is fit to play there and at the Paris Olympics, then he is likely to retire from tennis.
Murray, 37, underwent a procedure to address a spinal cyst on June 22 — surgery that usually comes with a six-week recovery period. With Wimbledon starting on July 1, Murray is still hopeful of making a miracle return for the championships. However, he said there is a greater chance his participation may be in doubles alongside his brother, Jamie.
The draw for Wimbledon takes place on Friday, and Murray — who has won the men’s singles title twice — said he will leave it until the last minute to make a call on whether he’s fit or not for the tournament.
“I feel that I deserve the opportunity to give it until the very last moment to make that decision,” Murray said on Thursday. “If I was to be playing on Monday, I may know on Sunday there’s no chance that I can play. But also if it is progressing … I’m on the court yesterday and I’m able to go on the court and move around more today and start to do more sort of tennis movements and stuff, I’m not necessarily going to know how that’s going to change over the next 48 to 72 hours.”
Doubles presents an alternative option for Murray if he is unable to play singles, as it starts later in the Wimbledon schedule.
“The rate that I’m improving just now, if that was to continue, then an extra 72 to 96 hours makes a huge difference. It’s complicated, and it’s made more complicated because I want to play at Wimbledon one more time,” Murray said.
“I want to have that opportunity to play the tournament, and I know that some people might look at that and say: ‘Withdrawing from a tournament late at the last minute isn’t the right thing to do.’ But I feel like I deserve the opportunity to try to play there again. And I want to have that opportunity, so I’m going to give it as long as I can to see how well I recover.
“I’m going to wait until the last minute to see if I’m going to be able to and I’ve earned that right to do that. This is not clear-cut where I am 100% going to be ready to play or there is a 0% chance that I can play. That is the situation. I would say it’s probably more likely that I’m not able to play singles right now. I’m also doing rehab 24/7 to try to give myself that opportunity to play there again.”
Murray also confirmed his retirement plans. Murray — who won the men’s singles title at the 2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon and 2016 Wimbledon — said in February that he was not planning to play on much beyond this summer, and he hopes to play both at Wimbledon and at the Paris Olympics before stepping away from the sport.
