Tennis fans left saddened after major Andy Murray announcement

Andy Murray has elected to withdraw from the upcoming Queen's tournament after picking up an abdominal injury in the final of the Stuttgart Open last weekend.

The Scottish star had showcased a return to some of his best form in recent weeks, making the semi-final at the Surbiton challenger event in the weeks prior.

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Now Murray faces a race against time in order to regain fitness for Wimbledon, after scans on Monday confirmed he had strained his left abdominal.

He said after the loss to Matteo Berrettini in the Stuttgart final that he had never had an injury of this type before, and that he remained optimistic that he would be ready to compete at Wimbledon.

Nevertheless, fans were left concerned about the short turnaround and disappointed the popular Murray would face an anxious wait in the meantime.

Murray said it was disappointing to miss Queen's, which he has won five times previously - particularly considering the rich vein of form he has discovered.

“After having a scan this afternoon, an abdominal injury means I won’t be fit to compete at Queen’s this year,” he said via a statememt.

“The tournament means a lot to me, and it’s disappointing not to compete, especially after playing some good matches on the grass already.”

Many fans took to social media to wish Murray a swift recovery.

The 35-year-old required treatment on court by the trainer for the abdominal injury which hampered him throughout his match with Berrettini.

With Wimbledon starting in two weeks on June 27, time is ticking for Murray to regain match fitness.

"I've played a lot of matches, probably the most I've played on grass since 2016 (and his second Wimbledon title)," he said.

"It's been a long time since I've played nine matches in 14 days. So it's probably normal that I feel some stuff in my body."

Andy Murray in race against time for Wimbledon

Second seed Berrettini, who missed the claycourt swing after undergoing surgery on his hand in March, was playing in his first tournament since Indian Wells and triumphed on Sunday after Murray had injury issues of his own in the decider.

Murray, who has had hip surgeries that nearly ended his career, was not moving well as the match wore on and though he saved a championship point, he was only delaying the inevitable as Berrettini sealed victory in two hours and 40 minutes.

"It feels unbelievable. Winning the title was the last thing that I imagined when I came here," Berrettini said.

"Coming back from an injury like that, from the first surgery in my life and then winning the tournament not even playing my best tennis in the first round, so it feels even more special."

Murray, who prevailed over Australian Nick Kyrgios in an absorbing and stormy contest in the semi-final a day earlier, was not at his best and he groaned in frustration when the opening set slipped away from him in the final game.

Despite the disappointment, Murray remained bullish about his form after the loss.

"I don't know the severity of it. I need to have it checked out and hopefully everything will be alright," Murray said after the match.

"I had some pain in the abdomen when I was serving (second half of the match). That's never happened before.

"I won't know anything until I get it checked out. It's tough to say anything about the next weeks."

With AAP

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