Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Davis Cup finals after picking up a shoulder injury ahead of next week’s showdown with Serbia. The 36-year-old was due to join the likes of Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper in facing Novak Djokovic and his compatriots but will instead be forced to watch on from the sidelines. He has since been replaced by Liam Broady.
Murray injured his right shoulder in a practice session on Tuesday and will take no part in the Davis Cup finals as a result, according to The Times. The two-time Wimbledon champion is said to have made the decision to pull out on Friday in order to focus on his recovery ahead of the Australian Open in January.
The report adds that Murray was under serious consideration to face Djokovic for the first time since 2017 prior to his withdrawal from the tournament. His absence will leave Norrie and Draper as Great Britain’s only singles options against Serbia when the Davis Cup finals get underway next week.
It comes after Dan Evans was forced to withdraw from the squad last month due to a calf injury, leaving captain Leon Smith without two of his most important players. He will instead have no option but to field Norrie and Draper in the singles matches against Djokovic and Laslo Djere, with Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski in line to play doubles.
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Murray’s latest injury setback will come as another crushing blow to the Scot, who has struggled to find his best form since undergoing a hip replacement in 2018. He revealed last month that he is no longer enjoying his tennis to the extent he once did after losing to Alex de Minaur in the opening round of the Paris Masters.
“The last five, six months haven’t been that enjoyable so I need to try and find some of that enjoyment back because playing a match like that there’s not much positivity there,” said a despondent Murray.
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“When I play a good point, I’m not really getting behind myself in the important moments, that will to win and fight that has always been a big part of my game. What happened today, I don’t remember it happening before, that’s not really me. I haven’t felt good about my game for large parts of this year.
“If I want to keep going, I’m going to need a lot of work. It’s not just going to be like one or two weeks of training to get me to where I need to get to, it’s going to have to be a lot of work and consistent work to give myself a chance.”
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