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For the third year in a row, Andy Murray will not participate in the French Open announced the BBC on Sunday. The Scot, ranked 42nd in the world, has decided to forgo the Paris tournament in order to focus on the grass court season.
The Brit, who admitted that his camp was divided whether he should play in Paris or not, lost in the first round in the three clay court Masters events – Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome – as well his opening match at the Bordeaux Challenger last week. But he did win the ATP Challenger in Aix-en-Provence earlier this month.
The 36-year-old Brit is ranked 42nd in the world and was hoping a few wins in Paris would help bumps his ranking to earn him a seeding at Wimbledon.
In an interview last month, Murray said he thought he had a chance to win Wimbledon, although he agreed that not many others might think the same.
“I would like to play [Roland-Garros] because I don’t know if I’ll get another opportunity,” Murray said. “I also have ambitions of competing for Wimbledon titles and that sort of stuff. I know sitting here today that probably doesn’t sound realistic but I do believe that’s a possibility. It’s impossible to say what the right thing to do is but obviously it’s a Grand Slam [the French Open]. I would like the opportunity to play.”
Andy Murray is already scheduled to compete in the Cinch Championships at Queen’s Club, which will take place from June 19-25. The first event of the British grass court season will be the Surbiton Trophy, which will take place from June 4-11. A finalist at the French Open in 2016, the former world number 1 is prioritizing his preparation for Wimbledon (July 3-16), which he has won twice (2013, 2016).
The Scot had fallen to 503rd in the men’s rankings after undergoing career-saving hip surgery in 2019, but has since risen to 42nd in the world. At the Australian Open in January, he spent 10 and a half hours on court during wins over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis, before being beaten in the third round by Roberto Bautista Agut.
