Andy Murray to skip Davis Cup after Indian Wells defeat to Alexander Zverev, says it would be "great" if more players got vaccinated
Andy Murray suffered a close defeat to Alexander Zverev on Tuesday to exit the Indian Wells Masters in the third round. Following that disappointment, Murray has announced that he won't compete at the Davis Cup next month.
The 34-year-old also talked about the COVID-19 vaccination requirement at the Australian Open, suggesting that it would be good for the tour if more players took the jab.
Andy Murray's last outing at the Davis Cup came in 2019, where he suffered a bruised pelvis that affected him for nearly a year. In an interview with BBC Sport on Wednesday, Murray made a reference to that injury while claiming that his Davis Cup participation has sometimes hampered his regular-season play.
"I've given a lot to the Davis Cup, and sometimes to my own detriment physically, Murray said. "The same thing happened last time I played Davis Cup at the end of 2019. I know there was coronavirus, but I was struggling with that (bruised pelvis) really up until September time the following year."
Andy Murray was instrumental to Great Britain's victory at the Davis Cup in 2015, contributing 11 points out of a possible 12. However, the former World No. 1 is not sure if he "deserves" to be selected this time around.
"Cam [Norrie] and Dan [Evans] have had a great year," Murray said. "Liam Broady's in and around the top 100 now and we've got very strong doubles as well. I also don't feel right now I would be playing, either. Obviously that would be upto Leon [Smith], but I'm not sure I deserve to play in that team."
The Davis Cup is scheduled to take place between 25 November and 5 December.
Currently ranked No. 121 in the world, Andy Murray has accepted a wildcard entry to play in Antwerp and Vienna. After those two events he intends to take some time off to rest and spend time with his family, before heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open.
"Right now, I'm not planning on playing the Davis Cup and with the late finish to it, and early departure to Australia, I am going to have to rest and take a break and give my body a chance to breathe," Murray said. "And I want to make sure in the off season I get to spend as much time with my family as I can because I have been away from that recently and that will be case when I go to Australia as well."
"My understanding is if you're unvaccinated and still allowed to play, the rules are going to be different" - Andy Murray
Recent reports suggest that the Victoria state authorities will require all Australian Open participants to be vaccinated. While Andy Murray himself has been jabbed, he expects unvaccinated players to compete in Australia after undergoing a longer quarantine period than others.
The Brit asserted, however, that he would support any move by the local authorities to impose stricter conditions at Melbourne.
"My understanding is if you're unvaccinated and still allowed to play, it's just the rules are going to be different," Murray said. "You might just have to leave (for Australia) a few weeks earlier than everyone else. That's the player's choice. If the local government puts that in place, then I would support that. It would be great if more players got vaccinated."
Andy Murray has clearly been struggling for form since his hip replacement surgery and other injuries stemming from that issue. His regular presence at the big events this year is, however, a good sign.
At Wimbledon a couple of months ago, Murray made a stellar run to the third round on the back of multiple epic battles. He subsequently took Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets at the US Open, looking a lot like his old self.
Whether or not the three-time Slam champion can script history again is yet to be seen, but his comments suggest he is still expecting a lot out of himself. After his loss to Zverev at Indian Wells, the Scot lamented the fact that he hasn't been able to eke out the close matches in recent times despite having chances to do so.
"I didn't feel like I played a great match and still had chances, so that's positive," Murray said. "But I'm disappointed because I want to be winning these matches. I haven't in the past few months."