Andy Murray showed positive signs in Cincinnati just days after an injury forced him out of the Canadian Open. The world No 40 pulled out of his match against Jannik Sinner at the 11th hour, citing an abdominal strain. It left him in doubt for next week’s Masters 1000 in Cincinnati but he has already been out on the practice court. It comes as good news with the US Open just over two weeks away.
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Murray suffered a fresh setback on Thursday as he withdrew from the Canadian Open moments before he was due to take to the court for his round-of-16 match. The Brit instead arrived on Centre Court to apologise to the fans and announced that he had picked up an abdominal issue.
The 36-year-old later said the injury was reminiscent of one he sustained last year in Stuttgart, which took him 10 to 12 days to recover from. It left his hopes of competing at the Cincinnati Open in doubt but Murray has now offered a positive update as he took to the practice court with Mackenzie McDonald on Sunday.
A two-time former champion in Cincinnati, Murray has a tough first opponent in 11th seed Karen Khachanov. The Brit could request to play in Tuesday’s night session to have the maximum time to continue to recover from his abdominal injury.
If Murray is already fit enough to practice, it also bodes well for the final Grand Slam tournament of the season. A champion at the US Open back in 2012, Murray has made it no secret that his big goal is to reach the second week of a Major.
The former world No 1 had also made it his mission to get a spot as one of the top 32 seeds at Wimbledon earlier this year, just falling short. But he is already in contention to be seeded in New York as he will move up to No 36 in the world when the rankings update on Monday.
With Murray now looking like he’ll be able to compete in Cincinnati, a good run there could see him continue to rise up the ranks and secure a seed, meaning he wouldn’t be able to face anyone else in the top 32 in the early rounds.
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When Murray pulled out of the Canadian Open, he released a statement saying it was merely a precaution. And his decision could prove to be the right one if he recovers in time to play in Cincinnati as normal.
“I had a very similar issue last year in the tournament in Stuttgart before Wimbledon which forced me to miss the Queen’s Club tournament and I was able to play Wimbledon. It took me about 10 to 12 days before I was feeling good again,” he said after his withdrawal.
“This is not as bad as that but obviously the danger if you compete and play on it is you make it worse. So, I’ll need to see how it develops over the coming days and hopefully feel better in a few days. I’m really sorry. Thank you.”
