Andy Murray pulls out of US Open due to hip injury

Andy Murray practises at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Saturday. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

The Scot announced his withdrawal on Saturday, two days before the start of the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.

The world No.2 struggled through Wimbledon with the problem, losing in the quarter-finals to Sam Querrey, but his prospects for Flushing Meadows had looked positive when he travelled to New York last weekend.

However, after a week of practice Murray has decided he is not fit enough to do himself justice.

The Scot, who looked close to tears, said: “I did pretty much everything I could to get myself ready here, took a number of weeks off after Wimbledon, spoke to a lot of hip specialists, tried resting, rehabbing to get myself ready here and was practising okay the last few days but it’s too sore for me to win the tournament and ultimately that’s what I was here to try and do, so unfortunately I won’t be playing this year.”

Murray won the US Open in 2012 for the first of his three major titles. He was seeded second this year.

He has not played since losing to Querrey on 12 July and joins a raft of high profile absentees from the US Open.

Defending men’s champion Stan Wawrinka is out because of a knee injury while Novak Djokovic (elbow) and Milos Raonic (wrist) will also be absent.

Victoria Azarenka is missing because of an “ongoing family situation”.