Injured Andy Murray withdraws from Dubai Tennis Championships

DUBAI: Britain's Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Dubai Tennis Championships, which will be held from February 27 to March 4, due to a recurring hip injury, the tournament organisers announced on Monday.

The former world no. 1 had been drawn against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the first round with the potential quarter final face-off with Novak Djokovic.

"We regret to inform you that Andy Murray is unable to participate in this year's tournament. Andy has been dealing with a recurring hip injury that has unfortunately forced him out of Dubai. We wish Andy a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the court in Dubai soon," the organisers said in a statement.

The 35-year-old played marathon matches before falling short of winning his first ATP Tour title since 2019 after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open final on Saturday.

Murray defeated Alexander Zverev and Australian Open quarterfinalist Jiri Lehecka en route to the final in Doha. Despite a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Medvedev in the summit clash, the Brit's encouraging form earned him an 18-place rise in the rankings back to the verge of the top 50. He currently sits in the 52nd spot.

The two-time Grand Slam winner is next scheduled to play in the first Masters 1000 event of the season in Indian Wells, starting on March 6.