MX23RW : Thursday, December 19 02:55:33| >> :600:130162311:130162311:

Andy Murray confirms he will not play again in 2020

Andy Murray has not played since pulling out of an ATP tournament in Cologne last month.

Andy Murray has brought his season to a close but is back in training following a pelvic problem.

The former world number one had been affected by tendinitis in his left psoas muscle, which connects the spine to the femur, since the US Open and pulled out of an ATP tournament in Cologne two weeks ago.

The possibility was raised at that point of Murray taking a wild card into this week's Rolex Paris Masters but the Scot was absent from the list announced last week.

There is one more regular ATP tournament in 2020, next week's Sofia Open, but Murray's representative told the PA news agency he will not be seeking entry into that and will instead prioritise preparation for 2021.

The 33-year-old is training at the National Tennis Centre in London and will hope that a strong block will enable him to finally play something approaching a full schedule in 2021.

Murray missed the start of 2020 following further hip issues and has only played seven matches this year, winning three.

He will travel to Australia by mid-December at the latest in order to fulfil quarantine requirements prior to the start of the new season.

Andy Murray is preparing for the 2021 season
Andy Murray is preparing for the 2021 season (Adam Davy/PA)

Murray's schedule is yet to be determined, with the ATP calendar still up in the air as coronavirus restrictions continue to present huge challenges for tournaments.

The ATP Cup, which pits national teams against each other, could go ahead in some form but Murray's lowly ranking of 118 means he would not be part of the Great Britain team.

He is almost certain to need a wild card for the Australian Open, which is due to begin on January 20 and is expected to be held in front of domestic fans.

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