Andy Murray sends heartfelt message to fans as he opts not to play in Glasgow Davis Cup tie

ANDY MURRAY has written a heartfelt message to Scottish tennis fans as he fears he will not play competitively on home soil again.

The tennis star said it was an emotional decision not to play in Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie with Uzbekistan in Glasgow next week but he has been told to rest following his lengthy hip injury lay off.

With an upcoming change of format to the Davis Cup meaning fewer home ties and with uncertainty over his future participation in the competition, it could have been Murray’s final chance to play competitively in Scotland.

In a long message on Instagram, Murray thanked fans and highlighted the many memorable moments the competition has given him, not least the four ties in 2015 in which he led Britain to the title alongside brother Jamie.

He said: “With this possibly being my last chance to compete in Scotland as a professional I really wanted to be there with team and found this decision emotionally quite challenging.

“I had spoken to our captain, Leon, about possibly coming to just play doubles but having been recommended to take a couple of weeks off hitting to continue my reconditioning I didn’t want to just show up not ready to perform to a high enough standard and ultimately let my teammates/country down.

“If I don’t get the chance to compete in Scotland again I just want to say thank you so much to all the fans who have come along to watch and support the team over the years. You have created some incredible atmospheres for me and the team to play in and I will always remember that.

“Having been born in Glasgow and growing up in Scotland I would never have imagined I would see such passionate fans packing out stadiums for tennis matches. Playing with my Big Bro in those stadiums has been very very special.

“Thank you so much again.. I’ll miss you.”

He signed off the message with a line from popular Scottish song Loch Lomond, writing: “By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes.”

Murray has staged a charity event in Glasgow in the last two years with challenge matches against Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov, but he last played competitively in Scotland in a Davis Cup tie against Argentina in September 2016.