The back issue that has troubled Andy Murray in recent weeks has manifested in a Wimbledon withdrawal. The Brit first realized that he had a problem with his back during the game against Jordan Thompson on June 19. Just 5 games in, he had to retire from the match, and it was later discovered that he had a cyst close to his spine, which was causing him pain in his right leg. What now?

Fortunately, despite not competing in the singles tournament, he will continue to play doubles. As of now, he is recovering from the cyst extraction operation and will be retiring 10 days later. His team came forth to make a public statement about his decision while apologizing to everyone who hoped that he would be able to compete in another grand slam.

After hearing that the Briton had to drop out of the tournament, Brad Gilbert took to Twitter to share his thoughts on Murray leaving. In his post, he shared that he is “really bummed for Sir Andy having to pull out today.” Coco Gauff’s coach spoke in Murray’s defense, saying that the Briton did everything in his power to try to play the match. Interestingly, the two have worked together back in 2006.

Brad Gilbert also stated that Andy will be joining Jamie Murray in doubles, so his fans can take a sigh of relief as he is not leaving the sport yet. Unfortunately, the Briton had to retire under such conditions; however, the fact that he is still competing in doubles is just proof that, despite the setback, Murray will never lose his competitive spirit. He also tried to make the match against Tomas Machac happen, but that was canceled at the last minute due to Murray not feeling well.

While Brad Gilbert was not the only personality in the sport to write a heartfelt message, Murray’s team had some responsibility towards his fans. The team put out a message to let his fans know that the Briton won’t be competing in singles this year. So let’s see what exactly happened to the three-time grand slammer, according to his team.

The reason Andy Murray is retiring from Wimbledon

Many fans were expecting to see Murray play against Tomas Machac on Centre Court, but the sudden cancelation of the match was requested by his team. To explain what happened, the team put out a statement that read, “Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year.”

They further stated, “As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time.” The organizers of Wimbledon responded by saying that they were sorry to hear the news and added, “We are so looking forward to seeing you compete in the doubles and celebrating all the memories you have given us.”

With that said, it is not the best time for Andy Murray or his fans, but we hope to see him recover and have a good run in doubles. Do you think the Murray brothers are in for a win this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.