Murray withdraws from singles, will only play doubles at Paris Olympics

PARIS (AP) — Two-time Olympic tennis gold medalist Andy Murray pulled out of singles at the Paris Games on Thursday and only will compete in doubles with Dan Evans.

Murray, a 37-year-old from Britain, has said these Olympics will be the final event of his career.

He’s dealt with a series of injuries, including a hip replacement in 2019, and most recently needed surgery last month to remove a cyst from his spine.

Murray pulled out of singles at Wimbledon this month and played one match in doubles alongside his older brother, Jamie.

“I’ve taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan. Our practice has been great and we’re playing well together,” Murray said Thursday. “Really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time.”

His withdrawal announcement came shortly before the draw for the Olympics tennis tournament. Play begins Saturday on clay courts at Roland Garros, home to the French Open.

“The Olympics has been incredibly special to me. I’m really happy I get to do this one more time,” Murray said on stage shortly after the Olympic tennis draw on Thursday. “I’m getting a bit older now so it gets harder to recover from injuries. I just ran out of time really (to play singles), but happy to be in the doubles with Dan and we play well together.”

They will face Japan’s Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori in the first round on the clay courts at Roland Garros.

Murray won singles gold medals at London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016, making him the only tennis player with two.

He won three major titles: his two at Wimbledon coming after his first at the U.S. Open. He reached the French Open final in 2016, losing to Novak Djokovic.

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