Will Andy Murray return to Wimbledon next year? Former World No.1 answers
First Published Jun 30, 2022, 1:20 PM ISTAndy Murray crashed out of Wimbledon 2022 after suffering a 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 4-6 loss to America's John Isner on Wednesday.
Andy Murray crashed out of Wimbledon 2022 after suffering a 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 4-6 loss to America's John Isner on Wednesday.
Britain's former world number one Andy Murray crashed out of Wimbledon 2022 after suffering a 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 4-6 loss to America's John Isner on Wednesday. Following his exit, the three-time Grand Slam champion rued the missed chances and stated that he hopes to improve his ranking before the US Open so that he can be seeded, helping him avoid facing high-ranked players early in the tournament.
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"I was coming into Wimbledon feeling like I could have a deep run. If you play against top guys right at the beginning of the event, obviously, it makes it more challenging. I really want to try and improve my ranking to a level where I'm getting seeded in Slams. If not [by] the US Open, then going into the Australian Open next year," Murray said.
The Brit, currently ranked 52nd in the world, had never failed to reach the third round in 13 previous appearances at Wimbledon, where he is a two-time winner. There are no ranking points for players at Wimbledon this year after the ATP and WTA stripped the tournament of its points following its decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus.
"One of the reasons why improving your ranking and trying to get seeded is important is to avoid playing top players and dangerous guys like that early in tournaments. It's one of those matches that, had I got through, who knows what would have happened," the former world number one added.
The 35-year-old underwent hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, but his preparations for the grass-court Slam were hampered by an abdominal injury he received at the Stuttgart Open earlier in June. Following that most recent setback, Murray stated that he was "not able to serve for effectively 10 days" and, when asked if he would play again at Wimbledon, added that it would depend on his physical condition.
"[If] physically I feel good, then we'll try to keep playing. It's extremely difficult with the problems I've had with my body in the last few years to make long-term predictions about how I'm going to be even in a few weeks' time, never mind in a year's time. It's not easy to keep my body in optimal condition to compete at the highest level," Murray added.
On his recent injury, the Brit stated, "It was frustrating, and it didn't help. I was in a really good place physically, and my game was in a good spot. I feel disappointed right now. Obviously, I wanted to do well here. I love playing at Wimbledon, a surface that I feel like I can still compete with the best guys on. It definitely hurts."