Former world No. 1 Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open with an abdominal strain, less than two weeks before the start of the US Open.
Credit:-Google
The 36-year-old Scot had been struggling with the injury since his third-round loss to Jannik Sinner at the Toronto Masters last week. He had hoped to recover in time for Cincinnati, but he decided to withdraw after training on Monday.
“I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from Cincinnati,” Murray said in a statement. “I’ve been feeling good in practice, but I just don’t think I’m ready to compete at this level yet. I need to make sure I’m fully fit for the US Open, and I don’t want to risk making the injury worse.”
Recommended:-Gerrard Gets First Win as Al Ettifaq Come From Behind to Beat Al Nassr
Murray’s withdrawal is a blow to his hopes of winning a third US Open title. He has been in good form in recent months, reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon and the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. But he will now need to make a full recovery from his injury if he is to challenge for the title in New York.
Murray is not the only top player to withdraw from Cincinnati. World No. 3 Alexander Zverev pulled out of the tournament on Sunday with a right ankle injury. And world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is also a doubt for the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
The Cincinnati Open is a warm-up tournament for the US Open, and it is always a good indicator of form ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year. Murray’s withdrawal is a setback, but he will be hoping to be back in action soon and challenge for the title in New York.
