Andy Murray provides thigh injury update as Broady continues shock Olympics run

Andy Murray revealed he had promised British doubles specialist Joe Salisbury he’d prioritise their partnership over his singles hopes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as he continues to manage a thigh injury.

Murray, a two-time gold medalist, withdrew from the singles in Japan after being advised by his medical team not to compete in both disciplines.

Despite seeking a hat-trick in the singles, Murray opted to focus on doubles with Salisbury – currently the ninth-best doubles player in the world.

So far, the move has paid off. After the scratch British pair shocked French second seeds Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in round one, they then defeated Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-2 7-6 (7-2) to reach the quarter-finals.

Murray, who has previously won a silver medal in mixed doubles with Laura Robson, can become the first man to win four Olympic medals since tennis returned to the Games in 1988.

And he’s confident he will be physically capable of going all the way in Tokyo, even if he needs a break afterwards.

‘When we spoke about playing, I told Joe that if I had any physical issues I’d prioritise doubles over singles and that’s why I made the decision,’ Murray said after the win.

‘I’d have been annoyed with myself if I’d decided to play with the issue, made it worse, lost my singles and not been able to perform well in the doubles.

‘Physically it’ll be okay for the rest of the tournament, but I will need to take a break afterwards.’

Discussing details of the issue, Murray added: ‘There was just some stuff showing on the scans that made all the medical team a bit wary about it.’

Murray and Salisbury will face either USA’s Frances Tiafoe and Rajeev Ram – Salisbury’s regular partner on the ATP Tour – or Croatia’s Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig in the quarter-finals.

While Murray and Salisbury would have expected to go deep in Tokyo, their compatriot Liam Broady has been the surprise package of the men’s events.

Broady, the lowest-ranked singles player in the tournament, was a late call-up after Dan Evans withdrew following a positive Covid-19 test.

He was handed a decent first-round draw against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo but it was expected his run would be halted by Wimbledon semi-finalist Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.

That wasn’t the case. Broady, the world No. 143, overcame the Polish world No. 12 7-5 3-6 6-3 to reach round three.

The 27-year-old has avoided another seed in the next round after 11th seed Aslan Karatsev was dumped out by France’s Jeremy Chardy.

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