By Victor Kanayo
Andy Murray of Britain has announced that he is withdrawing from the upcoming French Open.
The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, takes place between May 28 and June 11.
According to Murray, his decision to pull out was to prioritise the grass-court season in the build-up to Wimbledon which kicks off July 3.
The three-time Grand Slam winner joins the likes of Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios in withdrawing from the men’s singles event at Roland Garros.
Tough Times For Murray
It has been a challenging time for Murray on the clay this season.
He was beaten in the first round of the Italian Open and earlier this week made another early exit on clay after losing to Stan Wawrinka at an ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux.
Murray was a finalist at the French Open in 2016, losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic, and has reached the semi-final on four other separate occasions.
The 36-year-old has only played at Roland Garros once since 2017, which was a first round exit in 2020.
Since returning from career-saving hip surgery, Murray’s best result was reaching the third round in 2021.