Andy Murray ruled out of Wimbledon after back surgery

Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been ruled out of the upcoming Wimbledon after undergoing a surgical procedure to remove a spinal cyst, the ATP said on Sunday.

"After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon. Rest up and recover Andy, we'll miss seeing you there," the ATP wrote on 'X'.

Earlier, he withdrew from Queen's Club Championships due to same injury while trailing 4-1 in the first set of his second-round match against Jordan Thompson on Wednesday.

Murray's participation in the French Open deteriorated the existing problem, preventing him from competing at Wimbledon, the site of two of his three Grand Slam victories.

After undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, the 37-year-old reemerged on the tennis court. However, he has found it difficult to get past the knockout stages of the major events and most recently had to battle with an ankle injury he suffered at the Miami Open in March.

After Queen's Club Championships withdrawal, Murray said, “I didn’t get the right side of my back treated after the French Open [a few weeks ago]. All tennis players have degenerative joints in the back but it’s all predominantly been left-sided for me for pretty much my whole career. I’ve never had too many issues with the right side.

“Maybe there’s something which can be done between now and then [Wimbledon] with my right side – I will have a scan tomorrow and re-check and see what can be done. I don’t know exactly what the problem is. I just know I haven’t experienced that before – the back pain today and yesterday. I don’t know what the procedure will be or what to expect,” he added.