Andy Murray was forced into a last minute withdrawal from his match against Novak Djokovic due to a bout of food poisoning.
In what has left Novak Djokovic fans irked, Andy Murray withdrew from his Madrid Open third-round clash against the World No.1 due to a bout of food poisoning at the last minute on Thursday.
The 34-year-old Scot was set to face the Serbian for the first time since 2017 in what was expected to be a high-octane game. However, with Djokovic having already completed his warm-up he was given a walkover into the quarter-finals.
Unfortunately, Andy Murray is unable to take to the Manolo Santana Stadium due to illness 😔
We wish you a speedy recovery, ! 😘
🏟️ Instead, Andrey Rublev and Daniel Evans will open the day's play on centre court. pic.twitter.com/0QdLyh7qhl
"I had a message yesterday from Andy that he was not feeling well. He had food poisoning, it sounds like he is feeling better this morning but is still not well enough to go on the court," Tournament Director Feliciano Lopez was quoted as saying to Sportsmail.
The three-time Grand Slam winner was reportedly unable to leave his hotel room on Wednesday following his win over Denis Shapovalov. Now, Murray has to take a call on whether he will feature in this weekend's qualifying event for the Italian Open in Rome.
Although the Scot does not intend to play this month's French Open, his performance in the Spanish capital must be encouraging. Murray beat Dominic Thiem in the first round before upsetting world No 18 Denis Shapovalov in three sets to set up a meeting with Djokovic.
The two-time Wimbledon champion's withdrawal hands Djokovic a free passage to the quarter-finals where he will face either Hubert Hurkacz or Dusan Lajovic. However, the Serbians fans were left completely miffed with Murray's last-minute withdrawal with several supporters taking to social media demanding proof of the Scot's illness.
One user commented, "Would like evidence he's actually ill. Murray is establishment and a Djokovic victory would have strengthened his momentum confidence. WO win doesn't help."
Another user added, "Are you fucking kidding me!! I was so waiting for Murray v Djokovic match and Murray withdrew because on illness! It better be because of Covid because surely a slight cold shouldn’t stop him from trying!! #MadridOpen."
Here's a look at some of the reactions on the micro-blogging site:
Would like evidence he's actually ill. Murray is establishment and a Djokovic victory would have strengthened his momentum confidence. WO win doesn't help.
— Scoop Malinowski (@scoopmalinowski)Are you fucking kidding me!! I was so waiting for Murray v Djokovic match and Murray withdrew because on illness! It better be because of Covid because surely a slight cold shouldn’t stop him from trying!!
— Msikkle (@Msikkle)WO pro Djokovic em cima do A. Murray no Madrid Open?
Sacanagem, tava curioso pra ver essa partida...
🥎
Andy Murray on playing Djokovic: "he is world No 1 and I've got a metal hip" 😆 pic.twitter.com/URkPOD8M4A
— Tennis News (@TennisNewsPaper)Murray withdraws from his match with Djokovic due to illness… hint of irony here? 🤷♂️
— Jason Bowditch (@JBowditch90)Missing out on match with Murray isn’t going to help Djokovic, he needs matches https://t.co/UvN1SyiDRi
— Áine (@maso240557)I was so pumped to see Djokovic vs. Murray today. This walkover stings a lot
— Ajay Thakkar (@AjayThakkar_)Nope, I’m very disappointed! And think Djokovic needed the time on court.
— Delaney (@Delaney4Tennis)so there will be no murray djokovic because andy pulled out with food poisoning. the wait goes on 😔
— keir 🇪🇪🐊 (@kxcii)I wasn't expecting that 😔 https://t.co/UhZsIHGfHB pic.twitter.com/kjFQewJIu8
— Liki Fumei 🎾 (@likifumei)Ben bir şeyi beklememeliyim. Murray-Djokovic için zaman ayırdım. Adam maçtan çekildi :(
— Gülnur with racoon eyes (@drgnurdidem)Deixei de malhar agora cedo pra ver Murray e Djokovic...
O Murray ficou doente e desistiu da partida 😭
Andy doesn’t fear Djokovic. Maybe he fears playing someone unvaccinated 🤔
— Val Fryett (@Ostracurva1)Herh did Murray just fake an illness to avoid Djokovic? https://t.co/McxZDm1kav
— AJ (@aj_aaronic)