Andy Murray faces US Open fitness race after Cincinnati withdrawal

Murray is battling an abdominal strain as he tries to ensure his fitness for the season’s final grand slam, which starts on August 28

Andy Murray is trying to ensure his fitness for the US Open later this month (Getty Images)

Andy Murray has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open as the Briton continues to recover from an abdominal strain in a bid to compete in the US Open that begins later this month.

Murray, 36, withdrew from last week’s Canadian Open before his round of 16 clash with eventual champion Jannik Sinner due to the issue he picked up after spending nearly five hours on court in wins over Lorenzo Sonego and Max Purcell.

The three-time grand slam champion and former world No 1 travelled to Cincinnati where he hoped to be fit in time to face Russian Karen Khachanov but he will now be replaced by a lucky loser.

The US Open begins on August 28 and is the Scot’s main focus for the remainder of the season as he looks to build on a promising summer that has been free of serious injury.

Murray said after withdrawing before the clash against Sinner: “I had a very similar issue last year in the tournament in Stuttgart before Wimbledon which forced me to miss the Queen’s Club tournament and I was able to play Wimbledon. It took me about 10 to 12 days before I was feeling good again.

“This is not as bad as that, but obviously the danger if you compete and play on it is you make it worse. So, I’ll need to see how it develops over the coming days and hopefully feel better in a few days. I’m really sorry. Thank you.”

Murray is currently No 36 in the world – his highest ranking since hip resurfacing surgery in 2019 – and was named in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team for their Finals Group Stage ties that will take place after the U.S. Open, later in September.

GB will take on Australia, France and Switzerland in Manchester next month, with Murray being joined by Cam Norrie, Dan Evans and Neal Skupski as two teams will qualify for November’s quarter-finals in Malaga.