Andy Murray's participation at Wimbledon has been thrown into doubt following his back surgery on Saturday, despite a premature announcement from the ATP that he was out of the tournament. The ATP, the men's professional tour's governing body, posted on X on Sunday that the Scot would not be fit to compete, but the Guardian understands no final decision has been made, with a call expected later this week.
Leon Smith, head of men's tennis at the Lawn Tennis Association and Murray's childhood coach, told the BBC that he believes no decision has been reached. 'He obviously went through a procedure yesterday and you have to wait and see now. My understanding is no decision has been made and let's hope for the best for Andy,' Smith said.
The ATP's initial tweet, which read 'After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon. Rest up and recover Andy, we'll miss seeing you there,' was later deleted and is believed to have been based on a Telegraph report suggesting Murray would be out for six weeks. The 37-year-old is hoping to make a final appearance at SW19 this summer, but he was forced to retire from his second-round match at Queen's Club on Wednesday while trailing 1-4 due to severe back pain.
Murray revealed he had lost strength and coordination in his lower back and right leg before the match, describing the sensation as unlike anything he had experienced before. 'I've just had this neural pain across my back for the past few weeks. It's been pretty uncomfortable. And then today it was like, yeah, like just a numbness and loss of strength, power, control,' he said on Wednesday.
Despite the uncertainty, Murray was courtside to watch Scottish youngster Charlie Robertson at the LTA Wimbledon wildcard playoffs on Saturday, the same day he underwent back surgery after several consultations. The surgery comes on the heels of another significant injury—torn ankle ligaments sustained during the Miami Open in March—and Murray now faces crucial decisions about his Wimbledon participation and the future of his career. He was recently nominated to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games, which begin less than two weeks after Wimbledon ends, but it remains unclear if he will be fit for either event.
