MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 16:28:08| >> :600:165310730:165310730:

Andy Murray opts not to play singles at US Open

Andy Murray opts not to play singles at US Open
© Reuters
Murray was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati.

Andy Murray has decided not to play singles at the US Open later this month following his return to action at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The 32-year-old former world number went down 6-4 6-4 to Frenchman Richard Gasquet in his first round match seven months after undergoing career-saving hip surgery.

He later announced that he plans to play only men's and mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows, but insisted the decision was nothing to do with how he had fared against Gasquet.

Murray told the ATP Tour's official website: "We were hoping to maybe hold a wild card until a little bit closer to the time to see how I feel and get some matches hopefully and a bit of practice.

"[It was] a decision I made with my team. I didn't want to take a wild card today because I just didn't know how I was going to feel after a match.

"I felt like I wanted to be fair, for me to maybe try and get a couple of matches in before making a decision like that."

Andy Murray was beaten by Richard Gasquet of France
Andy Murray was beaten by Richard Gasquet of France (Gary Landers/AP).

Murray, who may play singles at Winston-Salem next week, looked rusty as Gasquet tested his mobility to the full, but was adamant nothing that happened on the court had influenced his decision.

He said: "If I would have taken the wild card and then not played, then I would have been getting loads of questions about my hip and, 'Why has he turned it down? Is something wrong? What's the problem?'.

"It was more likely that I was not going to [play] because although I did fine in the match today, physically my legs felt quite heavy at the end of the match, and that's probably not going to change a whole lot in a couple of weeks."

The Scot has nursed himself back into the game since his return from surgery, playing five doubles tournaments since June.

ID:367939: cacheID:367939:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4812:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Britain's Andy Murray reacts after losing his first round doubles match partnered with Brazil's Marcelo Melo against Colombia's Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal on June 25, 2019
Read Next:
Andy Murray to play Zhuhai and Beijing events as he steps up singles comeback
>
Read more about Andy Murray Tennis
rhs 2.0
Today's games header


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!