Andy Murray has withdrawn from next month’s Rotterdam ATP 500 as he gives his schedule a shake-up following his Australian Open heroics. The world No 64 made it to the third round in Melbourne after back-to-back five-set epics and is now set to undergo a training block before his next event.
Murray has pulled out of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament which is due to start on February 11 after initially receiving a wildcard. The news comes after his remarkable Australian Open run which saw him play the longest match of his career with the latest finish when he beat Thanasi Kokkinakis at 4.05am after five hours and 45 minutes in the second round.
While he was then eliminated in the next round by Roberto Bautista Agut, the former world No 1 thought his run showed promising signs as he was able to stay fit after two five-set matches just months after he would be struck down by cramps in 90-minute best-of-three matches and is now opting to focus on his training after it proved successful in the off-season.
Confirming his withdrawal from Rotterdam, tournament director Richard Krajicek said: “We consider it a blessing in disguise. On the one hand, it is a pity that Andy Murray will not be present. On the other hand, I am glad that we can admit Tallon to the main draw. He is the man in form and I think he can show great things in the ABN AMRO Open,” as homegrown talent Tallon Griekspoor received the free wildcard in Murray’s place.
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Meanwhile, Murray will return to training after explaining the process of his three-week block in Florida during the off-season. “Put a lot of work in on the court. I did a lot of cardio work on the bike and on the Versaclimber,” the three-time Major champion said during the Australian Open.
“It’s something that I’ll definitely look to do at times during the rest of this year to make sure I dedicate enough time to the hard work and improving my game,” he added, and the 46-time title winner is already returning to the basics after claiming that he wanted to go further than just the third round of a Major after being impressed with his jump in form compared to last season.
“There were maybe times the last year or so where I didn’t really feel like I was playing well, and I didn’t enjoy the way that I was playing. Yeah, those sacrifices and that effort that I put in allowed me to get through those matches and play at a high level that I think was entertaining for the people watching,” he said after crashing out to Bautista Agut.
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“I felt good about the way that I was playing. It’s more enjoyable for me when I’m playing like that, when I’m coming into a major event and really believing that I can do some damage. But, yeah, I can have a deeper run than the third round of a slam, there’s no question about that.
“Obviously draws can open up for you. I need to also help myself with that. If I was playing at this level last year, I probably wouldn’t be ranked 50, 60 in the world. It’s up to me to try and change that.”
The next tournament on Murray’s schedule is the Dubai ATP 500 starting from February 27 before the ‘sunshine double’ of Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
