Britain’s Andy Murray reacts after winning the first set during his doubles match in the quarter-finals of tennis competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2020
Andy Murray took the field for the US Open on Monday when another defending champion at Flushing Meadows, Stan Wawrinka, withdrew as he is still recovering from foot surgery.
Murray is a former No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam title winner, including New York in 2012. His ranking dropped out of the top 100 in recent years after he had two hip operations.
The 34-year-old from Scotland returned to the tour in June after a three-month absence due to a groin problem and reached the third round at Wimbledon, then withdrew from singles competition at the Tokyo Olympics on 25 July, citing a strain on the right quadriceps. . He was a two-time men’s singles gold medalist.
Murray played doubles for Britain at the Summer Games in Japan, reaching the quarter-finals with Salisbury.
The American Tennis Association also announced on Monday that Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig will not play in the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. Tig has sustained a back injury and has been replaced by Claire Liu of the US
Wawrinka won the title for the last of his three major singles championships at Flushing Meadows in 2016.
Wawrinka, 36, is 3-3 in 2021 and hasn’t competed on the tour since losing his first match to Lloyd Harris at the Qatar Open in March.
Wawrinka had surgery on his left leg shortly thereafter, then in June needed another procedure on the same leg. He is ranked 31st and would be seeded if he was able to play at the US Open, where main draw action begins on August 30.
Murray, who is ranked 105th in the ATP rankings, reached the second round in each of his last two appearances at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and last year.
After losing in the third round to eventual semifinalist Denis Shapovalov at the All England Club last month, Murray wondered what the future might hold for him.
“There’s a part of me that feels like I’ve worked so hard over the past three months and, ultimately, haven’t played what I wanted and expected. And it’s like: Is it worth it?” Then said Murray.
“Is all that training and everything that you are doing in the gym – until you are able to like, practice and improve your game and get matches and continue to get a run of the tournament Is it worth all the work you’re doing?”
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