Murray confident over Wimbledon
ANDY Murray is confident he will be fit for Wimbledon despite pulling out of his quarter-final with defending champion Andy Roddick in the Artois Championships.
Murray suffered a thumb injury during his third-round victory over Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis yesterday and decided not to risk doing further damage at Queen’s Club today.
The British number one missed the French Open and Wimbledon last year with a serious wrist injury but feels he should be back playing again in a few days’ time.
He said: “I woke up this morning and couldn’t pick up my pillow, I was struggling to pick up my phone. I took another anti-inflammatory, came down here and tried to practice, hit some balls.
“I could hit the ball decent but I couldn’t hit a backhand volley and slicing was very sore. I had a scan and I haven’t pulled anything, just sprained it a bit. It’s obviously not terrible but it’s just too sore to try and play a match.
“There’s no point going on the court feeling 50 per cent, not being able to hit a few of the shots. I’m not pulling out just because Wimbledon’s around the corner. I just didn’t see any point in trying to play when you’re so far away from 100% fit.”
Murray’s withdrawal hands Roddick a place in the semi-finals as the American, winner here four of the past five years, seeks a record fifth title.