Former world No. 1 Andy Murray has pulled out of Wimbledon due to a hip injury that has been bothering him since last year.
The two-time Wimbledon champion announced his decision on his Facebook account, saying he will withdraw from the event that he won twice with a heavy heart.
Andy Murray Withdraws From Wimbledon
The 31-year-old Murray became the first British to win Wimbledon in 77 years when he beat Novak Djokovic in 2013 final. In 2016, he won the title again following an impressive win over Milos Raonic.
"I've made significant progress in practice and matches over the last ten days, but after lengthy discussions with my team, we've decided that playing best of five set matches might be a bit too soon in the recovery process," Murray said.
Murray added that his camp did all everything they could to be ready before the tournament. However, Murray experienced some pain when he returned to the playing court at the Queen's Club.
Andy Murray's Hip Woes Began Last Year
Murray's hip problem was an issue entering into last year's Wimbledon, where he was ousted in the quarterfinals by Sam Querrey. He tried to overcome it several times by trying to return to the court.
When he failed to return to his top form, Murray opted to undergo surgery to address his hip problem in January. Since then, Murray has played in only three matches.
Murray explained that he's still practicing at a high level with some of the best players in the world as part of his efforts to get better. Jason Jung will fill Murray's spot in the main draw where he will face France's Benoit Paire on Tuesday.
Roger Federer Believes It's The Right Move
Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer supported Murray's move to pull out of the tournament. Federer said it's better for Murray to get himself in a better position to compete, rather than return and make thing worse.
"If you're just not feeling it in the morning to walk out there and play best-of-five a few times in a row, what's the point? You're only going to have a setback and then everybody's even more unhappy," Federer said.
Also, Federer said pulling out of Wimbledon is not the end of the world for Murray. He expects that Murray will return to top form when he recovers from his hip problem.
"I'm sad that he's not playing Wimbledon. It's a big loss. He's one of the big guys here," said Federer, who will begin his quest for a ninth Wimbledon title against Dusan Lajovic of Serbia.
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