Report says Andy Murray will miss Wimbledon after operation on spinal cyst, but it remains unclear

An exclusive report by the British newspaper *The Telegraph* said Sunday that Andy Murray will miss Wimbledon after an operation this week on a spinal cyst.

Reports indicate that Murray underwent the procedure on Saturday, three days after retiring from his second-round match against Jordan Thompson at cinch Championships at the Queen’s Club, a tournament he had previously won five times. He was trailing 4-1 in the first set when he retired due to an injured back, and was given an emotional send-off by the crowd.

Per reporter Simon Briggs and the newspaper’s sources, the 37-year-old is looking at six weeks of recovery time, which would also jeopardize, if not rule out entirely, his participation at the Paris Olympics. Neither Murray nor his representatives have yet confirmed Briggs’ reporting.

Murray had previously intimated that this year’s Wimbledon would be he last, having first said in February that he wasn’t planning on playing much past this summer. But injuries have put a wrench in those plans: first, a full rupture of the AFTL in his left ankle at the Miami Open that forced him to miss nearly two months, and then, the retirement at Queen’s.

Despite being named to a fifth Olympic team, Murray had said at the start of the week that he wasn’t “100% sure” if he’d play, citing his physical challenges.

“It depends a little bit physically how I am doing. How the next few weeks go as well. Yeah, my plan just now is to play, but it is not straightforward,” he said at the time.

Update, 1:36 p.m. EDT 6/23: Citing its own sources, The Guardian reported later on Sunday that Murray had not yet made a decision on his Wimbledon participation, and that a decision will come later this week.

The newspaper also cited an appearance by Leon Smith, the head of British men’s tennis and Murray’s childhood coach, on BBC, where he also said Murray’s withdrawal was unconfirmed.

“He obviously went through a procedure yesterday and you have to wait and see now. My understanding is no decision has been made and let’s hope for the best for Andy,” Smith reportedly said.