British tennis player, Andy Murray, has made the decision to withdraw from the French Open in order to prioritize the grass-court season leading up to Wimbledon.
Since 2017, Murray has only participated in Roland Garros once. Although he won the clay-court Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence in May, he has struggled to find consistency on the surface.
The French Open, which is the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, is scheduled to take place from May 28th to June 11th.
Murray recently suffered a loss to his long-time rival Stan Wawrinka in Bordeaux, adding to his early exits at ATP Tour events in Rome, Madrid, and Monte Carlo.
However, Murray did secure his first clay-court title since 2016 by defeating Tommy Paul, ranked 17th in the world, in Aix-en-Provence after coming back from a set down. This victory marked his first singles trophy in four years.
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In May, Murray expressed uncertainty about participating in Roland Garros, stating that he needs to prioritize what is best for him at this stage of his career. He acknowledged that his best chance for a deep run in a tournament is more likely to occur at Wimbledon.
Murray is scheduled to compete in the Cinch Championships at Queen’s Club, taking place from June 19th to 25th. The Surbiton Trophy, the first event of the British grass-court season, will be held from June 4th to 11th.
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While Murray reached the French Open final in 2016, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic, and the semifinals in 2017, ending his run was Stan Wawrinka.
After undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, Murray’s ranking dropped to 503 in the men’s rankings. However, he has worked his way back up to 42nd in the world.
In the Australian Open earlier this year, Murray had remarkable performances, spending over 10 hours on court in victories over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis before being eliminated in the third round by Roberto Bautista Agut.
Murray joins Rafael Nadal, a 14-time champion, in withdrawing from the French Open. Additionally, Matteo Berrettini and Nick Kyrgios have also decided not to participate.
Jodie Burrage, the British women’s number two, will also miss the French Open due to a lingering injury, despite her initial plans to participate in the qualifying rounds. Burrage hopes to recover in time for the grass-court event in Surbiton, starting on June 4th, and she will surpass Emma Raducanu in the rankings following the French Open, regardless of her results.
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