Sir Andy Murray Ponders His 2018 Wimbledon Appearance • Eastbourne Loss to Kyle Edmund • Is Hip Ready?

By Ricky Dimon
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Updated: June 28, 2018

Britain’s Andy Murray during a training session at the Fever Tree Championship at Queen’s Club in London, Britain, 18 June 2018. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL

By Ricky Dimon

Andy Murray’s third appearance in his 2018 comeback from hip problems ended with a 6-4, 6-4 loss against Kyle Edmund in the Nature Valley International second round on Wednesday. Murray turned in another respectable performance but eventually fell at the hands of his fellow Brit after one hour and 40 minutes.

The three-time Grand Slam champion got off to an inauspicious start when he donated serve in the opening game and then failed to convert any of four break points immediately thereafter. That lone break proved to be enough for Edmund, who was not pushed to deuce in any of his next four service games and closed out the opening frame of play with a routine hold at 5-4.

Two breaks propelled Edmund to a 5-2 advantage in the second, at which point he finally cracked for the first time on serve while trying to close things out. On his next opportunity at 5-4, though, Edmund managed to seal the deal and send Murray packing–presumably for Wimbledon.

“I’m really happy that Kyle’s doing really well,” Murray commented. “It’s great for British tennis…. Obviously this is a really good thing for British tennis that, with the stage of my career I’m at, (there is) another player at the top of the game. Hopefully he’ll be competing for the biggest tournaments.”

But the story, of course, is Murray. The former world No. 1 was out for almost a full year before returning at Queen’s Club, where he lost to Nick Kyrgios in three sets. He picked up his first win of this season by clobbering fellow injury-plagued star Stan Wawrinka on Monday.

Now, will Murray play Wimbledon?

“There is no danger of me injuring my hip more than any other stage,” he noted. “Two weeks ago I practiced with Kyle and I didn’t win a game. I’ve made decent progress in the past couple of weeks and have been somewhat competitive in the matches I have played.

“So I don’t want to go out there (at Wimbledon) to just play; I want to compete properly. If I’m in the right place, physically feel ready, and mentally in the right place, then I’ll go for it…. It’s whether I can do myself justice. I want to go out there and compete.”

Murray is expected to make his Wimbledon decision before the main-draw ceremony is held on Friday morning.