Madrid Open: Andy Murray pulled out of match against Djokovic

Andy Murray has withdrawn from his Madrid Open match against Novak Djokovic due to sickness.

On Thursday, the Briton was due to compete in the tournament’s third round.

“Unfortunately, Andy Murray will be unable to attend the Manolo Santana Stadium due to illness,” the organizers said in a statement.

Murray defeated Dominic Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion, in the first round of the tournament before defeating Denis Shapovalov of Canada in the second round.

The organizers wrote, “We wish you a speedy recovery, Andy Murray.”

The 34-year-old Scot had planned to skip the clay-court season, but after accepting a wildcard for the Spanish tournament last month, he changed his mind.

Murray, who is ranked 78th in the world, described his match against Djokovic in the last 16 as “a tremendous opportunity to play against him again on a big court in a significant tournament.”

They’ve known each other since childhood and have faced each other 36 times in their professional lives.