Andy Murray WITHDRAWS from World Cup No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open just an hour before the game due to food poisoning – the game that would have been the most famous for the British for years
- Andy Murray had to face Novak Djokovic for the first time in five years
- The Briton reached the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open on clay this week
- But on the way to the stadium, the 34-year-old footballer retired due to illness
- Murray accepted a wild card after changing his decision, fearing how his body would react to glue, to miss the swing of glue on the court
By Mike Dixon for MailOnline and Kieran Jackson for Mailonline
Posted: 09:56, 5 May 2022 | Updated: 11:14, 5 May 2022
Andy Murray was forced to withdraw in the last minute of his match against Novak Djokovic due to an attack of food poisoning.
The 34-year-old Scot had to face number one in the world for the first time in more than five years this morning in the third round of the Madrid Open.
However, as Djokovic had already finished his warm-up, he advanced to the quarterfinals.
Andy Murray withdrew from his match against Novak Djokovic in Madrid due to illness
Murray’s withdrawal gives the Serb a free pass to the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open
Tournament director Feliciano Lopez told Sportsmail: “Yesterday I received a message from Andy that he is not feeling well. He had food poisoning, he seems to be feeling better this morning, but he’s still not well enough to get on the court.
Murray is said to have failed to leave his hotel room on Wednesday after finishing his victory over Denis Shapovalov at 12:34 p.m.
Now he has to decide whether to pursue his original plan to play in the qualifying event this weekend for the Italian Open in Rome.
He does not currently plan to play in the French Open, although he should have been encouraged by his performances in the Spanish capital.
Murray accepted a wild card at the event after changing his initial decision – due to concerns about how his body would react to red things – to miss the swing of glue on the court
He defeated Grand Slam winner Dominic Thiem in the first round before upsetting World No. 18 Denis Shapovalov in three sets to host Djokovic.
Dan Evans against the eighth number in the world Andrei Rublev was moved to the main court in place of Murray and Djokovic.
The withdrawal of the two-time Wimbledon champion gives the Serb a free pass to the quarter-finals, where he will face Hubert Hurkac or Dusan Lajovic.
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