• Andy Murray has withdrawn from Dubai Tennis Championships.
• The 35-year-old played marathon matches before falling short.
• He is next scheduled to play in first Masters 1000 event.

Due to a persistent hip issue, Andy Murray of the United Kingdom has pulled out of the Dubai Tennis Championships, which will take place from February 27 to March 4.

The former world number one was paired with Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the opening round, with a potential quarterfinal matchup against Novak Djokovic.

“We regret to inform you that Andy Murray is unable to participate in this year’s tournament. Andy has been dealing with a recurring hip injury that has unfortunately forced him out of Dubai. We wish Andy a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the court in Dubai soon,” the organisers said in a statement.

The 35-year-old played exhausting matches before losing to Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open final on Saturday, preventing him from earning his first ATP Tour championship since 2019.

In order to reach the Doha final, Murray had to defeat Jiri Lehecka of the Australian Open quarterfinals and Alexander Zverev. The British player rose 18 spots in the rankings to return to the fringe of the top 50 despite losing to Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 in the summit match. He is right now in position 52.

Next up for the two-time Grand Slam champion is the season’s opening Masters 1000 match in Indian Wells, which gets underway on March 6.

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