Australian Open 2021: Andy Murray pulls out for testing COVID positive

By Team Newsable | First Published Jan 23, 2021, 12:39 PM IST

The Australian Open 2021 would be the 109th edition of the year’s opening Grand Slam. The tournament would be held outside its regular January schedule, in February. Andy Murray is a three-time Slam champion, having finished as the runner-up at AO on five occasions.

Andy Murray of Scotland has withdrawn for the opening Grand Slam of the year, Australian Open, after testing positive for COVID-19 and failing to travel to Melbourne. He has become the 10th men’s player to pull out, while his replacement is yet to be confirmed.

Murray is already undergoing quarantine in the United Kingdom and asked for an exemption from another 14-day quarantine in Melbourne. However, things did not materialise following an extensive discussion with Tennis Australia, which compelled him to withdraw from the competition.

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“Gutted to share that I won’t be flying out to Australia to compete at the Australian Open. We’ve been in constant dialogue with Tennis Australia to try and find a solution which would allow some form of workable quarantine, but we couldn’t make it work. I want to thank everyone there for their efforts, I’m devastated not to be playing out in Australia. It’s a country and tournament that I love,” Murray confirmed in a statement, reports ATP.

ALSO READ: How tennis stars are dealing with quarantine in Melbourne?

Murray is currently ranked 123 in the ATP Singles Rankings and was granted a wild-card entry into the tournament. He happens to be a three-time Slam champion and has never won the AO, but has finished as the runner-up on five occasions.

Murray has not been in the same form since 2019, as he had to undergo a hip-replacement surgery, which could have jeopardised his career. Although he returned the same year and won the European Open, he has struggled to find consistent form. Last year, he told about suffering a pelvic injury, but has recovered from it and is willing to get back to action.

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