Andy Murray brushes off 'drama queen' label

British number one Andy Murray has rejected claims that he exaggerates injury because he isn't mentally strong enough.

Murray was labelled a "drama queen" by former Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade after he required on-court treatment on his troublesome disc during his second-round match against Jarkko Nieminen at Roland Garros last month.

The 25-year-old has responded by telling reporters: "I think eight painkilling injections in your back before the French Open justifies a genuine injury.

"If someone is going to say to me my back injury is not genuine, they can come see my reports from the doctors, they can see the pictures of a needle about eight inches long in my back.

"I'm not accepting criticism any more because it's not fair."

The world number four was given a tough draw for the opening round at Wimbledon, which begins tomorrow, where he will face Nikolay Davydenko on Tuesday.

Written by
Pascal Lemesre