Andy Murray has pulled out from next week's Moselle Open in Metz due to an undisclosed reason.
The former World No. 1 leads a pack of absentees at the final ATP tournament of the regular tennis calendar, which has lost second seed Casper Ruud and at least four Top 20 players. And there are concerns for tournament officials that the number could grow significantly at the weekend.
Murray was beaten by Alex de Minaur for the umpteenth time in head-to-head in the first round of the Paris Masters - his fifth defeat in his last seven matches on the ATP Tour. Just like in Beijing, where Murray held match points against the Aussie, he squandered another one in a three-set defeat.
His emotions overwhelmed him and smashed his racket to the ground immediately after the match. It's the second time that Murray's emotions hit breaking point against de Minaur, as a similar scenario happened after losing at the China Open in which he entered a scuffle with a camera operator.
Murray's withdrawal from Metz pretty much ends his ATP season for another year and he was not particularly pleased with his form. Murray revealed to the press that he has not been "enjoying" his time on the court for the past six months, and the results stand true to his statement.
He has been nominated in Great Britain's Davis Cup team for the Finals in Malaga in late November. Captain Leon Smith has named an unchanged squad from the one that stoically and heroically defeated Australia, Switzerland, and France to qualify from the group.
Murray will finish his season on the ATP Tour with a 47.1% winning record, the second lowest since he returned from a career-ending hip operation. Remarkably, he's had joy playing on the ATP Challenger this season, winning three titles at that level, including back-to-back events on grass.
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