Andy Murray will play no part in Montpellier or Rotterdam this month (Picture: Getty)

Andy Murray has been forced to withdraw from two further tournaments after pulling out of the Australian Open with a pelvic injury.

The 32-year-old, whose career was in jeopardy 12 months ago, announced at the end of December that he would play no part Down Under and also that he would miss the ATP Cup.

Murray was hopeful he would be able to return in time for next month’s ATP Montpellier and the Rotterdam Open, but the three-time Grand Slam champion’s recovery has taken much longer than first expected.

The Brit’s latest blow raises serious questions about his future in the game and whether he is still capable of competing at the top level.


Murray does not want to risk further injury by rushing back (Picture: Getty)

In the wake of his latest setback, Murray does not want to risk further injury by rushing back before he’s fully ready.



‘The bone bruising is taking longer to heal that first thought, so I won’t be playing in Montpellier or Rotterdam in February,’ Murray said on Thursday evening.

‘I don’t want to rush anything or put a timeline on my recovery.

‘I’m going to listen to my body and step back on the court to compete when the time is right.’

Murray and his team are continuing to work hard in the gym to give the Scot the best possible chance of returning to the elite.

Murray initially felt discomfort in his groin area back in November ahead of Great Britain’s Davis Cup clash with the Netherlands.

The two-time Wimbledon champion got the better of Tallon Griekspoor in the tournament’s opening match but played no further part in Madrid.

Murray’s most recent Grand Slam singles appearance was his five-sets defeat at the hands of Roberto Bautista Agut in Melbourne at the start of 2019.

Many expected his persistent hip injury to force him into retirement after he broke down in tears at one press conference.

However, Murray underwent a successful operation and returned in majestic fashion with a doubles win at Queens before beating Stan Wawrinka to secure a singles title in Antwerp in October.

Henman had doubts about Murray featuring at the ATP Cup (Picture: Getty)

Earlier this month, Great Britain captain Tim Henman admitted he ‘wasn’t holding my breath’ when it came to Murray being able to compete at the ATP Cup.

‘I was aware that was likely to happen once there were problems in the Davis Cup and then looking at the scenarios after that with a bone bruise type of thing, I wasn’t holding my breath, put it that way,’ Henman said.

‘In some respects, I would have expected him to make this decision a lot earlier than the day before Christmas.

‘From what I understand, he has got a bit of bone bruising in his groin so it is not actually the hip itself. Is it connected? You would have thought so but I still am not overly concerned.

‘There is just no point in risking anything. He has made such good progress. It’s frustrating that he has got a different injury. I would definitely still take a long-term view.’

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