Murray U-turns on dramatic schedule decision with Madrid Open practice

Andy Murray has appeared to make a U-turn after contemplating whether he would skip the rest of the clay season. The Brit has arrived in Madrid ahead of the upcoming Masters event to get some practice in after a disappointing early exit in Monte Carlo.

Murray was left frustrated when he crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters to Alex de Minaur in just 86 minutes. The world No 52 played the event for the first time in six years but suffered a 6-1 6-3 defeat, claiming the performance was “one of the worst of my career.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion later told Tennis Majors that he could be forced to reconsider his plans for the clay swing and skip it altogether. “It’s just whether I play the clay court season or whether I miss it. I have to have a long think about things with my team and what I do from here, in terms of where I train or do I stick on the clay. It was, it was pretty, pretty disappointing,” he said.

And it seems Murray had a change of heart after the “demoralising” result as he has already arrived in Madrid ahead of the second Masters 1000 of the clay swing. The 35-year-old became the first to practice in the Manolo Santana Stadium as he had a hit on Friday.

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Murray is a former champion in Madrid, winning the title back in 2015. And he produced an impressive display when he competed in the Caja Magica last year, defeating Dominic Thiem and Denis Shapovalov back-to-back en route to the third round.

He was set to meet old foe Novak Djokovic for the first time since 2017 but pulled out of the match after a bout of food poisoning. “I had a message yesterday from Andy that he was not feeling well,” tournament director Feliciano Lopez revealed.

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“He had food poisoning, it sounds like he is feeling better this morning but is still not well enough to go on the court.” Murray will be hoping for better fortune in Madrid this time around, and comes into the tournament ranked 26 spots higher than he was last year.

Murray and his rivals will learn their fate on Sunday when the draw is made. But Rafael Nadal will be absent after delaying his comeback from injury yet again as he pulled out and offered a bleak update on his progress, opting to change his treatment plan.

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