Madrid Open: Andy Murray pulls out of clash against Djokovic
Briton Andy Murray has withdrawn from his round of 16 clash against number one seed Novak Djokovic due to illness at the 2022 Madrid Open. He was set to face the Serbian ace for the 37th time in his career. Notably, it would have been the duo's first meet in five years. Earlier, Murray sealed wins over Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov. Here's more.
Unfortunately, Andy Murray is unable to take to the Manolo Santana Stadium due to illness 😔
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 5, 2022
We wish you a speedy recovery, @andy_murray! 😘
🏟️ Instead, Andrey Rublev and Daniel Evans will open the day's play on centre court. pic.twitter.com/0QdLyh7qhl
This was supposed to be the 37th head-to-head meeting between Murray and Djokovic. Djokovic leads their rivalry 25-11. As per ATP, the pair's seven most recent meetings have come in finals.
Murray had downplayed his chances against Djokovic. "In theory I should have no chance in the match. He's obviously No. 1 in the world [and] I'm playing with a metal hip, so I shouldn't have a chance in the match," Murray said in his post-match interview. "It's a great opportunity for me to see where my game's at and to play against him again."
Ahead of the Madrid Open, Murray had lost in the second round in Miami. He was beaten by Alexander Bublik in the second round at Indian Wells. He lost to Jannik Sinner at the Dubai Tennis Championships. At Qatar Open, he lost versus Roberto Bautista Agut. Murray was ousted in the second round of the Australian Open. He reached the final at Sydney International.
A statement issues by the organizers read, "Unfortunately, Andy Murray is unable to take to the Manolo Santana Stadium due to illness. We wish you a speedy recovery, @andy_murray !"
