Andy Murray Hints At French Open Participation With Clay Practice After Injury

Monday, 29 April 2024 at 02:00

byZachary Wimer

Andy Murray hasn't been on the course for a while due to an injury, but he was spotted practicing on clay, suggesting he is targeting a Roland Garros participation.

The Brit suffered an ankle injury at the Miami Open, which left fans worried about his participation in upcoming tournaments. The former world no. 1 hinted earlier this year at retiring sometime this year, so an ankle injury meant that a significant part of his planned schedule was in jeopardy.

The injury was not a minor one, and there were also talks of potential surgery. Obviously, surgery would have ensured that he would miss the whole summer stretch, including the Roland Garros and Wimbledon, so the Brit eventually opted against it.

He even returned to practice recently, which was impressive considering that initial projections had him missing weeks, not just one or two. Despite practicing, he decided not to play at the Madrid Open, but it seems like he will be playing on clay this year.

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A video of him practicing on the red dirt surfaced online, and there is really no reason to practice on clay if he doesn't plan to play on it. He would have been better suited practicing on the grass immediately, but since he is practicing on clay, it seems likely that he'll play at least one tournament on clay.

The obvious one should be the French Open, which hasn't seen him much in recent years. Since he plans to retire later this year, it's likely the final time he'll play at the event, which might be part of the reason why he's opting to play at all.

The Olympics are another clay event he might play in, but he's likely yet to decide about his participation in Paris. He hasn't really provided any updates, so it's a waiting game for both Murray and his fans.