has arrived at Wimbledon amid a wave of uncertainty around whether he will compete after undergoing knee surgery. Djokovic is not the only men’s tennis star under a massive injury cloud, with confusion reigning over the status of Andy Murray, following initial reports the two-time champion at the All England Club has been forced to withdraw from the tournament.
The ATP Tour reported on Sunday that the 37-year-old was “sadly out of Wimbledon” after undergoing back surgery the previous day. But the post on the official page of the men’s tennis body was swiftly deleted and the Brit’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith later revealed that the 37-year-old had not made a decision about whether he was going to compete or not.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are both under injury clouds heading into Wimbledon. Pic: X/Getty
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are both under injury clouds heading into Wimbledon. Pic: X/GettyHe obviously went through a procedure yesterday and you have to wait and see now,” Smith said on BBC TV. “My understanding is no decision has been made and let’s hope for the best for Andy.” The ATP’s initial tweet came off the back of a report from The Telegraph that claimed Murray would not be able to compete after having surgery on a spinal cyst over the weekend.
That came after Murray was forced to retire from his second-round match in sad scenes at Queen’s last week, with the Telegraph reporting that Murray’s surgery was set to sideline him for six weeks. “This has come from one source and had a knock-on effect, a lot of people are reporting it but that’s not my understanding,” Smith said about the misleading reports that Murray was withdrawing from Wimbledon.
Murray’s camp has not confirmed his withdrawal and it’s understood he’ll wait and see how his recovery progresses over the next few days before making a decision about his participation at Wimbledon, which begins next Monday. The Briton has yet to give up hope of making a farewell appearance at this year’s tournament ahead of a possible retirement after the Olympic Games tennis competition in Paris, which begins 13 days after Wimbledon finishes.
There is also huge uncertainty around seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic, who is battling to be ready after undergoing recent knee surgery. Djokovic was pictured training at Wimbledon after arriving at The All England club, and was seen sporting a huge compression bandage over his right knee and a sleeve on his right arm.
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