Groin injury could force beaten Murray to pull out of Tour Finals
BRITAIN’S Andy Murray will decide today whether to pull out of the ATP Tour Finals completely or play on through the pain barrier after suffering a shock defeat in his opening match in London yesterday.
The world No3 struggled with a groin injury during his 6-4, 7-5 defeat to Spain’s David Ferrer at the O2, and admitted afterwards that his future tournament hung in the balance.
“I’ll decide tomorrow whether or not I keep playing,” he said. “Sometimes you’ve got to do the right thing. I didn’t know exactly how it was going to feel on the court today. I played, I didn’t feel particularly great.”
Murray (right) struggled with injury in his last tournament, the Paris Masters, earlier this month where he lost in the quarter-finals to Tomas Berdych.
Even if he does play on in London, yesterday’s result leaves him facing a struggle to qualify from Group A. He is scheduled to face Berdych in his second match tomorrow.
The Scot could manage only a fitful performance, squandering an early break in the opening set, which he lost after Ferrer broke at 5-4. He needed treatment before resuming and again took the early advantage, breaking the world No5 in the first game, but ceded the upper hand instantly and was broken again late in the set as a tie-break loomed.