Due to a shoulder injury sustained during training, Andy Murray will not be competing in the Davis Cup and has decided to end his season. He was practicing at the National Tennis Centre earlier this week in preparation for the final event of the year, but unfortunately, the injury occurred. On Thursday, Great Britain will be facing Serbia at the Final 8 knockout stage of the Davis Cup finals in Málaga.
Murray stated that he sustained a small shoulder injury, preventing him from participating in the Davis Cup. He expressed disappointment in not being able to join the team, but his main priority now is recovering and preparing for the upcoming season.
The injury signifies a somber yet appropriate conclusion to a challenging latter half of the season. Despite winning three ATP Challenger titles in the summer, Murray has suffered five losses in his last six matches and has only won more than one match at an ATP level since March.
His challenging run-in culminated in a brutal loss to Alex de Minaur at the Paris Masters after holding a 5-2 third set lead and match point. Afterwards, Murray admitted that he has not been competing with joy over the final months of the season.
Murray’s challenging performance ultimately led to the 36-year-old’s decision to part ways with his coach, Ivan Lendl. The Davis Cup could have been a chance for him to finish the year on a positive note and the idea of competing against his longtime rival Novak Djokovic for the first time since 2017 would have been highly motivating. However, Murray has decided to shift his focus to training for the upcoming season, starting with the Brisbane International in January followed by the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, Murray will have plenty of time to contemplate his future in the sport.
Great Britain successfully progressed from the Davis Cup group rounds, thanks to a formidable team and a plethora of choices highlighted by their top four singles players, all of whom are ranked within the top 50. These players competed in September during their victorious week in Manchester.
Dan Evans, who played a crucial part in Great Britain’s advancement to the quarter-finals, will not be able to provide the same level of skill in Málaga. He has withdrawn from the competition after sustaining a season-ending calf injury during his opening round match against Frances Tiafoe in Vienna last month.
Without Murray and Evans, Great Britain’s lineup in Málaga is certain, but they still have a good chance to make it to the semi-finals. Cameron Norrie, their top-ranked player, will continue to lead the team. However, Norrie has not been performing well in recent months, losing eight out of his last ten matches. In order to prepare for the Davis Cup, he took a break after his loss in Vienna and withdrew from the Paris Masters. He has been training at the ATP Finals in Turin for the past few days to be in top shape for the tournament.
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If Djokovic participates in the Málaga competition, he is likely to be the top contender against Norrie. This could potentially make the singles match between the second players crucial for Great Britain to win. Jack Draper, who is currently the second player for Great Britain, has been performing well after recovering from an injury. He came close to winning his first ATP final in Sofia last week and also won an ATP Challenger in Bergamo. The 21-year-old made his debut in the Davis Cup in Manchester and narrowly defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in the match against Australia.
The team is completed by two top-ranked doubles players who have won the last two grand slam tournaments: Neal Skupski, the Wimbledon champion, and Joe Salisbury, the US Open champion. Salisbury joined the team after Evans withdrew. The LTA may announce a fifth player at a later time.
