Murray to change schedule to 'return to top of game'
Andy Murray says he will make changes to his schedule to “return to the top of the game”, after withdrawing from Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament.
The former world number one said it was “too soon” to play five-set matches after his comeback from hip surgery.
Britain’s Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion, returned after almost a year out at Queen’s last month.
The two-time Wimbledon winner, 31, said he had not had any setbacks but it was the “right” decision to pull out.
Murray discussed his decision to withdraw and how long he can continue to play in an interview on Sunday.
Can you get back to the top?
Andy Murray: I want to play for a couple more years and hopefully be back competing at the top of the game and I need to bear that in mind when I am making decisions right now.
I think I will make changes to my schedule and things to try and look after my body better. I will certainly not be having any ends to the season like I did in 2016 when I was playing and winning matches every single week and not stopping for a break.
I will be working hard but not killing my body in training blocks either. Providing I am smart with those things, I believe I will be able to compete.
When did you make the decision?
This morning [Sunday] I spoke with all of my team and my doctor, as well, just to get his view on things. I was just sort of feeling that I was not ready and willing to play.
I didn’t know how I was going to respond to playing five-set matches. I would have put myself in a situation that I haven’t been able to replicate in training or in practice recently – which is a maybe a bit unnecessary to do that at this stage.
I went through a similar situation last year when I went into Wimbledon. I didn’t feel good before Wimbledon last year but decided to play. I know how that ended up.
Have you had any setbacks?
No. I’ve made progress in the last month which hadn’t really been the case for the last 10 or 11 months. I was going in the right direction.
I didn’t come off a particular training session and feel bad. I was kind of just reflecting a little bit on the last 10 days. It’s been a positive 10 days, two weeks.
How difficult was it to make the decision?
I didn’t feel like I was going to win the tournament. I didn’t feel I was going to do extremely well in the tournament. There were just so many unknowns.
It’s been hard because I really wanted to play. Once you get back on the match court, you don’t want to be taking what feels like a bit of a step back in some ways.
I feel comfortable with the decision because it is the right one for me at this stage, long term.
If I was thinking I would not play Wimbledon again, it would be a different decision to make.