Andy Murray’s Wimbledon swansong is in the balance after he underwent a surgical procedure on his back on Saturday.
The two-time champion has not yet made a decision on whether to play at the All England Club after the operation on a spinal cyst, sources told The Athletic on Sunday. One sports medicine expert put the timeframe for recovery from that sort of procedure at six weeks; other reports have put the figure at four weeks.
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A statement from Murray’s team on Monday morning did not add any clarity. “Following his surgery on Saturday, Andy is continuing to work with his medical team to confirm when he will return to the court,” it read. “At this stage, no decisions have been made and we will update further as soon as anything has been finalised.”
Murray has often made a mockery of medical prognoses, continuing to play to a high level even after two hip operations, but with Wimbledon starting a week on Monday his time to be fit for the singles event is limited. He is also scheduled to play in the doubles event with his brother Jamie, which is less physically demanding and starts a couple of days later. But even that would still be an extremely quick recovery.
As of Sunday night, Murray’s camp were reiterating that no decision had been made on Wimbledon, suggesting that an update would come on Monday morning. The Scot is naturally desperate to play at the event, in what would be his final appearance before retiring later this year. There is also the Olympic Games to consider, where Murray is a two-time gold medallist, with the tennis competition beginning in Paris on July 27.
This latest physical issue began on Wednesday when Murray retired mid-match from his Cinch Championships second-round meeting with Australian Jordan Thompson.
Moving gingerly from the start, Murray appeared to struggle with his mobility. Trailing 1-2, he requested a medical timeout and had his lower back massaged. Despite returning to the court, he continued to have difficulty moving, ultimately shaking hands with Thompson and retiring from the match.
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Murray revealed afterwards that he had experienced a “loss of power” in his right leg, coupled with a recurrence of a back injury. “So no motor control, no coordination, couldn’t move,” he said.
He mentioned that the issue began before he even stepped on the court, saying: “During my pre-match warm-up today I was pretty comfortable. And then when I walked up the stairs before going on the court, I didn’t have usual strength in my right leg. It wasn’t the usual feeling, and then the first two balls in the warm-up my right leg was so uncoordinated.”
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The 37-year-old — who has undergone two major hip surgeries and last won a tour title in 2019 — said last week that he would likely retire from tennis this summer but has not set a specific date.
If he remains determined to say farewell on the court and Wimbledon and the Olympics aren’t possible, he could aim to compete in the U.S. Open, which begins on August 26, which is also the venue of his first Grand Slam title 12 years ago.
Wimbledon begins on July 1.
(Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images)