Mindful Andy Murray explains Dubai withdrawal - 'I was a bit worried about that'

Andy Murray has pulled out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships following his gruelling run to the Qatar Open final, deciding not to push his body further in the wake of a series of long matches.
Andy Murray finished as runner-up in Doha after a long week in Qatar.Andy Murray finished as runner-up in Doha after a long week in Qatar.
Andy Murray finished as runner-up in Doha after a long week in Qatar.

The 35-year-old played four three-setters before losing to Daniil Medvedev on Saturday and has decided not to play this week in Dubai. The tournament cited a hip injury for Murray’s withdrawal, setting alarm bells ringing given the problems he has had with the joint, but Murray has decided to not play as a precautionary measure as he looks forward to playing two Masters 1000 series events in Indian Wells and Miami next month.

“The matches I had last week were physically pretty demanding,” Murray said in an interview with The Times. “It was five matches in six days — the last time I did that was in Stuttgart [in June last year] but because of the surface [grass] the matches were physically really not that challenging.

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“I had an issue then with my abdominal muscle and on Friday evening in Doha I was feeling my abs a little bit after the semi-final. Because of the experience I had last year, it was clearly a load-related thing because of the amount of tennis I played in a short period, so I was a bit worried about that.

“I do have to be a bit mindful of my body now, which I wouldn’t have been in my mid-twenties. Because of the issues that I have, it’s not as simple as it used to be. There’s a little bit more of a science to my training and how much I should be putting my body through. Obviously, last week was extreme.”

A statement from the tournament read: “We regret to inform you that Andy Murray is unable to participate in this year’s tournament.

“Andy has been dealing with a recurring hip injury that has unfortunately forced him out of Dubai. We wish Andy a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the court in Dubai soon.”

Murray, who was due to play fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the opening round of Dubai, defeated Alexander Zverev and Australian Open quarter-finalist Jiri Lehecka in Doha prior to a 6-4 6-4 loss to Medvedev, continuing the encouraging form he showed at the Australian Open and earning him an 18-place rise in the rankings back to the verge of the top 50.

Dan Evans is now the only British player in the draw in Dubai, while Novak Djokovic plays his first tournament since winning a 22nd grand slam title at the Australian Open. The Serbian is beginning a 378th week as world number one, surpassing the all-time record held by Steffi Graf.

Djokovic triumphed in Melbourne despite a hamstring injury and, speaking ahead of his return in Dubai, said: “I had almost three weeks with no tennis so these last few days it’s really been about getting as much tennis practice as possible. I’m getting closer to 100 per cent – still not there but the important thing is there is no pain. I don’t have a hindrance to the way I move on the court.”

Djokovic will take on Czech Tomas Machac in the first round on Tuesday.

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