Andy Murray withdraws from Wimbledon on eve of tournament

Andy Murray has announced his withdrawal from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament.

The two-time champion had been due to play Benoit Paire in the first round on Tuesday and spoke positively about his prospects at a press conference on Saturday, but he has decided best-of-five-set tennis is too demanding at this stage of his comeback from hip surgery.

Murray said in a statement: “It’s with regret I’m withdrawing from Wimbledon. I’ve made significant progress in practice and matches over the last 10 days but, after lengthy discussions with my team and with a heavy heart, we’ve decided that playing best-of-five-set matches might be a bit too soon in the recovery process.

“We did everything we could to try to be ready in time. I will start practising on the hard courts from tomorrow and continuing with my rehab and recovery and I’m looking forward to the US hard-court season.