• ATP Tour

Murray withdraws from Tour Finals

ESPN staff
November 22, 2011
A groin problem has forced Andy Murray to withdraw in London © PA Photos
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Andy Murray has pulled out of the ATP World Tour Finals after failing to shake off a groin injury.

Murray was beaten by David Ferrer in his opening match on Monday, after which he revealed he had been hampered by a groin problem he picked up in training the previous week.

The British No. 1 failed to appear for his allotted practice session on Tuesday, heightening fears that he would pull out. And he confirmed that was the case at a press conference later in the afternoon.

"I didn't have enough time to recover," Murray said in a press conference at the O2. "I was told to take a week to 10 days completely off and I couldn't do that. So each day I was sort of hitting up and down the middle of the court, not moving and obviously you can't get away with doing that.

"There was no real positive for coming out and playing because [on Monday] I was really unhappy on the court, I wasn't enjoying it at all. This is one of the best tournaments of the year, one that I think that me and all of the other players look forward to playing. But I couldn't give anywhere near my best - that's what was disappointing.

"I never want to pull out of tournaments, especially one of this size. But it's a decision I had to make becauuse I was probably going to do myself more damage. The Australian Open is six, seven weeks away and I could mess up my preparation for the beginning of the year. I knew in my head I wasn't right to play but you always want to try."

Janko Tipsarevic will take Murray's place in the event, with matches to come against Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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