Andy Murray withdraws from French Open 2023

FRANCE: Andy Murray has withdrawn from the French Open 2023 to focus on the grass-court season in the build-up to Wimbledon, as reported by Skysports. The 36-year-old has withdrawn from the Roland Garros qualifying draw after struggling to recapture his best form on clay in recent weeks, and will instead focus on a demanding grass-court programme in the run-up to Wimbledon.

Murray had struggled to find his best form on clay after establishing he was physically fit to take on the world's elite players at the Australian Open earlier in the year. The former World No.1, bidding to revive his career after hip surgery in 2018. Murray defeated Tommy Paul in the final of the ATP Challenger tournament at the start of May to secure his first title at any level since 2019. He suffered after first-round exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid Open.

In front of a packed stadium in southern France, the Scot found consistency from the baseline to rally to a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory against Paul at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole. "It's not so much about [physical worries]. I trust that my body will be okay after what I did at the beginning of the year. I played back-to-back five-hour matches and did well physically in those matches. There's no reason why that should necessarily be any different here," speaking after that loss to Stan Wawrinka in the Challenger event in Bordeaux, Murray said.

"It was just more to see where my game is at. It's just what the right thing is to prioritise at this stage in my career. I trust my body now but I'm aware that my best chance of having a deep run is more likely to happen at Wimbledon," he added. The 36-year-old is currently deciding which tournaments to attend, which may include Surbiton from June 4-11 and Queen's from June 19-25. Wimbledon is set to begin on July 3.