Andy Murray’s back surgery ahead of Wimbledon 'a disaster' as retirement looms, says Mats Wilander
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Updated 28/06/2024 at 08:56 GMT
Mats Wilander says the timing of Andy Murray’s back surgery ahead of Wimbledon is a “disaster” but expects him to play at SW19 if he is “90%” fit. The two-time champion had a cyst removed on Saturday, but both his team and his mother Judy have stressed that no decision has been made about whether he will compete. Wilander also believes Murray could have one more season left in him.
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Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander has described the timing of Andy Murray’s back surgery as a “disaster”, with Wimbledon just days away.
Britain’s former world No. 1, who claimed the All England Club titles in 2013 and 2016, had a cyst removed from his back on Saturday - nine days before the grass court major begins.
Both Murray’s team and his mother Judy have stressed that no decision has been made, but an announcement on whether he will participate is likely imminent given the draw takes place on Friday morning.
There was confusion on Sunday when both the ATP Tour and the Telegraph claimed Murray had withdrawn - before the ATP deleted their social media post. Those close to him said on Monday that he was continuing to work with his medical team.
This year’s Wimbledon was widely expected to be Murray’s last appearance at the Championships before he retires, but Eurosport expert Wilander wonders whether the latest injury setback could delay the 37-year-old’s exit from the top level of the sport.
“When is he choosing to retire? You hope that he does it at Wimbledon in many ways, or is it to represent Great Britain at the Olympics? I'm not sure,” Wilander told Eurosport's Arnold Montgault.
“But certainly with Rafa not being Rafa anymore, with Novak maybe not playing Wimbledon, I would think that if your name is Andy Murray, you are looking at the field, and he has a chance to do extremely well at Wimbledon, which he did last year, too.
“So in a way, it's a disaster. I would think Andy Murray will show up if he is 90 per cent healthy. Especially if it's going to be the last tournament of his career.
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“I think he's at the stage where [he’s thinking] ‘yeah, it could be my last tournament, but I also feel like I have a chance to win Wimbledon’ - because of his knowledge of Wimbledon and the grass court.
“It's very sad if he doesn't get to play, but I think that will just allow us to see him play one more tournament somewhere because I do think Andy Murray is going to play a match and retire on that court after he's lost his last match.
“He’s so in tune with the history of the game and he's given so much to professional tennis, especially in Great Britain. I think he wants to make it a public thing on the Centre Court at Wimbledon. I hope he's healthy and doesn't retire at Wimbledon personally.”
Rafael Nadal has already pulled out of the tournament to focus on playing on clay at the Paris Olympics, while Djokovic is a doubt following an operation of his own on his knee - though he has been practising at The All England Club.
But Nadal has raised doubts about whether this will indeed be his last season and Wilander believes Murray could do the same if he is not able to step away from the sport on his own terms.
“You don't have to be healthy for 12 months in a row. You can get injured, and then you just have to work your way back. It is possible to get it back physically, and it's possible to get it back emotionally,” said Wilander.
“I think Nadal has proven that, and I think Andy Murray has proved that to himself, too, that age is mainly just a number if you stay healthy, if you eat the right things, and if you work out all the time.
“Okay, he never came back to the top of the game, but the difference between where Andy Murray came back to and where he was when he was number one in the world is physically not very big.
“Mentally, there's a little bit of a difference, but it's not huge. I think he knows that. I think he knows that if I get injured, I work hard, I can get back to being on the professional circuit again.”
Stream daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm UK time, as well as the two singles finals live on July 13 and 14, on discovery+
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