ANDY MURRAY’S participation at Wimbledon remains in doubt after his mother Judy revealed she is still unsure whether he will play.
Two-time champion Murray is expected to announce imminently whether he feels fit enough to take part, having finally made his comeback from almost a year out injured over the last couple of weeks.
The 31-year-old Scot has played three matches, beating Stan Wawrinka while losing to Nick Kyrgios and Kyle Edmund, and must now decide whether his body is up to the rigours of a grand slam.
Speaking at the Women’s Tennis Association’s ‘Tennis on the Thames’, Sunday Post columnist Judy Murray said: “I’m not sure.
“He’ll have to make his mind up today because they are making the draw tomorrow.
“He’s dipped his toe in the water in the last couple of weeks to try and get some matches and see where his body is at, and I guess it will depend on how he feels towards the end of the day, if he feels he is ready for five-set matches, so who knows?”
Child's play for @JudyMurray at #TennisOnTheThames! pic.twitter.com/NNov9GH7P3
— WTA (@WTA) June 28, 2018
Britain drew a blank at the Wimbledon qualifiers after last-man-standing James Ward bowed out.
The former British number two was beaten in four sets by Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in the final qualifying round.
Ward’s defeat meant that of the 15 British men and women to compete at Roehampton this year, none made it through to the main draw.
It is the first time in three years that not a single homegrown player came through the qualifying tournament.
Instead Britain’s entrants at SW19 will be Murray – if fit – Edmund, Cameron Norrie, Johanna Konta, Heather Watson and wild cards Jay Clarke, Liam Broady, Naomi Broady, Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart, Katy Dunne, Katie Swan and Gabriella Taylor.
Sir Andy Murray gives his backing to Daily Mile school health initiative
Ward, who is trying to work his way back up the rankings after two years of knee problems – he is currently ranked 362 having been as high as 89 – broke Bonzi in the first game of the match.
Yet Bonzi quickly redressed the balance and reeled off the first two sets before Ward, a Davis Cup winner in 2015, rallied to take the third.
However, that was as good as it got for the 31-year-old Londoner, who was eventually beaten 6-4 6-2 1-6 6-0 by the world number 198 and missed out on a minimum £39,000 pay day.
Among the other casualties in sunny south west London were former world number 17 Bernard Tomic.
Not for the first time the controversial Australian departed limply from a tournament, going down 6-3 6-1 6-2 to Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans.
Former Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard booked her place in Friday’s draw with a routine victory.
The Canadian, whose ranking has plummeted since she lost to Petra Kvitova in the 2014 final, beat Colombia’s Mariana Duque 6-3 6-2.
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