Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been ruled out of what was expected to be his last appearance at the event following a spinal operation.
The 37-year-old - who triumphed at SW19 in 2013 and 2016 - was forced to retire from his second-round Queen's match against Jordan Thompson last week, having been hampered by a back injury.
Murray's team confirmed that he would go under the knife to treat the problem, plunging his Wimbledon participation into major doubt, as well as potential Olympics swansong at the Paris Games.
Following reports that the former world number one had been forced to pull out of Wimbledon, the ATP Tour confirmed the news on Sunday afternoon, revealing that Murray had gone under the knife to treat a spinal cyst.
After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon...
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 23, 2024
Rest up and recover Andy, we'll miss seeing you there 😢❤️ pic.twitter.com/N2yFx9AbSZ
"After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon. Rest up and recover Andy, we'll miss seeing you there 😢❤️," the organisation wrote on X.
What next for Murray after Wimbledon heartbreak?
Murray is expected to spend a number of weeks recovering from his surgery, which will consequently threaten his chances of playing in Paris later this summer, after which he was expected to call time on his glittering career.
Now ranked 129th in the world, Murray has just six victories to show from 18 matches in the 2024 season, having also suffered a severe ankle injury during the Miami Open in March.
As a result of his operation, the three-time major winner may have already played his final professional match, but there is every chance that he could push to return for the US Open or prolong his career until 2025.
Ben Knapton
![Andy Murray looks distressed at Queen's on June 20, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/11/29/1x1.gif?w=1&h=1 "Andy Murray looks distressed at Queen's on June 20, 2024 [IMAGO]")
