There is confusion over whether Andy Murray will play at Wimbledon next month after he was prematurely ruled out of the grass court tournament.
The ATP Tour, which is a governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits, wrote on X on Sunday afternoon that the 37-year-old Briton was “sadly out of Wimbledon” after having back surgery on Saturday.
But the social media post was later deleted after it emerged it was put out following a report in the Telegraph, which suggests the two-time Wimbledon champion will be out for six weeks following a procedure on a spinal cyst.
Murray‘s representatives have not officially confirmed the news and the Press Association understands he will wait to see how his recovery progresses over the next few days before making a decision about his participation at the Grand Slam event in southwest London, which starts a week on Monday.
The former British number one, who now has a world ranking of 129 in the men’s singles, has yet to give up hope of making a farewell appearance at this year’s Wimbledon ahead of a possible retirement after the Olympics.
But it appears highly unlikely following his surgery after he retired injured in the first set of his second-round match against Australian Jordan Thompson at Queen’s Club in west London on Wednesday.
The Telegraph reported the Scot is set for six weeks on the sidelines in the wake of the surgery.
And shortly after the story broke, the ATP Tour wrote on X: “After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon. Rest up and recover Andy, we’ll miss seeing you there.”
However, the tweet was deleted soon afterwards and now the three-time Grand Slam winner appears to be in a race against time to prove his fitness for the SW19 tournament which begins on 1 July.
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Murray only returned to action last month after eight weeks out due to damaged ankle ligaments in late March.
He has struggled with back injuries in the past, having undergone surgery in 2013, while also suffering from soreness in recent weeks.
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While ranked number one in the world, he suffered a hip injury which ultimately led to him having a metal plate inserted.
It allowed him to continue playing but stopped him from competing at the top of the game.
He said last week that finishing his career at Wimbledon or the Olympics would be fitting for him, given he has won both competitions twice, but that now looks highly unlikely.
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The Paris Games follows Wimbledon, with Murray named in Great Britain’s squad after the International Tennis Federation awarded him a place having won singles gold in London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Tennis at the Olympics begins on 27 July, with Murray nominated to play singles and men’s doubles with Dan Evans.
