Andy Murray has made the difficult decision to pull out of the singles at Wimbledon and only play in the doubles alongside his brother Jamie.
Murray announced on Tuesday morning that he wouldn’t be playing Tomas Machac on Centre Court that evening. He has worked hard to find fitness after surgery on a cyst near his spine, but hasn’t made enough progress to compete in the gruelling singles competition in SW19.
"Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year,” a statement from his team read. “As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie."
The 37-year-old will team up with Jamie – a doubles specialist and a seven-time Grand Slam champion – as they take on John Peers and Rinky Hijikata. Here is everything you need to know about the decision and when you can catch what will be to be the start of Murray’s swansong at Wimbledon.
Why is Andy Murray playing doubles at Wimbledon?
Murray has pulled out of the singles, having only undergone surgery on his back last weekend after being forced to retire at Queen’s Club. He has been training hard since – playing with Kyle Edmund on the practice courts on Monday – but the withdrawal allows him an extra few days to recover.
Doubles is also a lot easier physically. While singles is played over five sets at Grand Slams, doubles is best of three. Murray will also only have to cover half of the court and serve half as many times – a considerable difference, especially when it comes to a back injury.
When will Andy Murray play at Wimbledon?
We don’t currently have a fixed time and date. The All England Club will release the order of play the evening before, but we do know that the first round of the men’s doubles is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
“The schedule is always up for amendment,” said All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton on Monday evening. “The fans will be absolutely desperate to see him play. We will wish him well on getting on court. The first-round doubles we can schedule any time between Wednesday and Friday.”
Which court will Andy Murray play on?
The AELTC have many considerations to take into account. Given the amount of interest in Murray’s Wimbledon swansong, he and Jamie are likely to be playing on a show court.
The Murray brothers are facing Australian duo Peers and Hijikata in the first round of the men’s doubles. “Fingers crossed we’re going to get on Court One, or even Centre Court would be nice,” Peers told tennis.com.au. “I’ve only been on Centre Court twice in my career and I’ve been on Court 1 a few times which was nice, but to be able to get out there again would be really special.”
Peers will be a very familiar opponent for Jamie Murray because the two used to play together in the men’s doubles, achieving plenty of success. They were Wimbledon finalists in 2015 and won six ATP doubles titles between 2013 and 2015.