Andy Murray’s pursuit of a third successive Olympic men’s singles title is over after a thigh strain forced him to withdraw from the event just hours before his first-round match against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Murray, 34, had made an auspicious start to his Olympic campaign on Saturday, showing no apparent signs of injury as he teamed up with Joe Salisbury in the men’s doubles to clinch a straight-sets victory over the French second-seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.
That win left Murray upbeat about his prospects in Tokyo, but the double Olympic champion has been plagued by physical setbacks since undergoing hip surgery two and a half years ago and on Sunday morning, with his singles match against ninth seed Auger-Aliassime looming, he sought medical advice after suffering tightness in his thigh.
Having been cautioned against competing in both events, Murray opted to pull out of his match against the Canadian, who beat him in straight sets in their only previous meeting at last year’s US Open, and instead continue alongside Salisbury in the men’s doubles.
“I am really disappointed at having to withdraw but the medical staff have advised me against playing in both events,” said Murray, who won gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016. “I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the singles and focus on playing doubles with Joe.”
It is another unwelcome setback for Murray, who has suffered injuries to his pelvis and groin since having his hip resurfaced, and also missed this year’s Australian Open after contracting Covid-19.
Murray’s replacement in the draw, Australia’s Max Purcell, recorded a shock straight-sets win over Auger-Aliassime. Purcell, an Australian Open men’s doubles finalist last year, made the most of his late call-up to defeat the 15th-ranked Canadian 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). The result will only add to Murray’s sense of what might have been.