Thumb injury forces Murray withdrawal
Andy Murray withdraws from Queen's Club due to thumb injury
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Friday, 13, Jun 2008 10:28
Andy Murray has been forced to withdraw from the Artois Championships at Queen's Club because of a thumb injury he sustained yesterday.
The 21-year-old Scot was due to face defending champion Andy Roddick in a quarterfinal match in Kensington today but he has pulled out after testing his fitness levels in practice this morning.
Murray complained of soreness in the thumb following his three-set victory over Ernests Gulbis in the third round yesterday – a match that was notable for controversies over the condition of the court.
Both players complained that the grass at Queen's was too slippery, with Gulbis and Murray frequently losing their footing.
However, because there was no rain and the dampness underfoot had been caused by a brief shower earlier in the day the match was ordered to continue.
One particularly nasty-looking slip from Murray in the deciding set appeared to cause him to tweak a groin muscle.
But after the trainer came onto court to treat the injury, the Scot seemed happy to continue and duly won the match with a break of serve in the 11th game.
In an interview afterwards, the British star said his groin was fine but he would need to reassess the thumb injury, which he claimed was restricting the movement of his hand on the racket handle.
Murray's withdrawal is considered to be precautionary rather than a precursor to anything more serious and he is expected to be fully fit for Wimbledon, which starts in just under a week and a half.
He is expected to be seeded inside the top ten when the rankings are announced for the Championships next week, despite missing the whole of last year's tournament with a wrist problem.