Andy Murray to miss clay-court season to protect fitness, Wimbledon hopes

There will be no clay-court season for Andy Murray this year as the Scot tries to avoid further injury that could interrupt his season and potentially jeopardise his chances of making a run at Wimbledon.

The former world No 1, who had a metal hip inserted in 2019, said the unique demands of the clay, with all the loading and twisting required, were not worth the risk.

“Right now I am not planning on playing through the clay,” Murray told reporters in Rotterdam, where he is due to play Alexander Bublik in the first round of the ABN/AMRO World Indoor Tournament.

“The past couple of years, the clay has made issues worse; last year I had some issues at the beginning of the year, the clay didn’t help, so I’ve spoken to my team about that and this year while I feel good and healthy, I don’t want to take that risk.”

The Scot, who turns 35 in May, said he could play on clay next year.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t potentially play on clay in the future. Last year I almost missed Wimbledon, was close to not playing the grass season, I’m not planning on playing the clay. I will still try to compete a bit during that period, I won’t do nothing, that’s my plan just now,” he said.

“I had a busy end of last year and the next couple of months I won’t take any risks and hopefully get a good build up to the grass season.”

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