Five-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray has withdrawn his name from the upcoming Australian Open despite earning a wild card entry to the Melbourne-based tournament.
Murray, former world number one men’s singles player, had tested COVID-19 positive last week shortly before he was set to fly out to Australia.
Even though the 33-year-old was asymptomatic and had hopes of participating in the year’s first grand slam, he failed to agree upon the guidelines set by the Tennis Australia for a “workable quarantine”.
“Gutted to share that I won’t be flying out to Australia to compete at the Australian Open,” Murray said in a statement as per the ATP Tour website.
“We’ve been in constant dialogue with Tennis Australia to try and find a solution which would allow some form of workable quarantine, but we couldn’t make it work. I want to thank everyone there for their efforts. I’m devastated not to be playing out in Australia. It’s a country and tournament that I love,” he added.
Due to a lingering pelvic injury, the former British number one missed several competitions in the past two years.
Had Murray been able to participate in the Australian Open, it would have been his first appearance at the Melbourne Park since 2019, when he lost in the first round to Roberto Bautista Agut.