“Really very grateful to him, I owe him a lot” - Aslan Karatsev reveals Andy Murray’s help in overcoming injury woes
Russian tennis player Aslan Karatsev has disclosed that Andy Murray played a big role in him overcoming troubles with his back.
Karatsev missed two Masters 1000 tournaments in the United States of America and skipped the Dubai event this season because of an injury. On his return to action, he lost to Kimmer Coppejans in the San Remo Challenger and to Francesco Passaro in Casablanca, before making his mark in Madrid.
The former World No. 14 won three matches in the Spanish capital to reach the semifinals as a qualifier. At the French Open, he came through the qualifiers to progress to the main draw, where he will face Alexei Popyrin on Monday, May 29, in his opening-round match.
Speaking ahead of his Roland Garros campaign, Karatsev said that he turned to Andy Murray for help with overcoming a back injury.
“I went to see Andy Murrayafter Doha. We talked to him and I for a long time. He helped me a lot, we talked about these problems, how to survive the pain, overcome it. This guy is an example! Then he gave me the contact details of his specialist doctors, I went to London specifically for that. I am really very grateful to him. I owe him a lot, to him and to the doctors!” he told flashscore.
Karatsev has enjoyed Grand Slam success before, having advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 Australian Open as a qualifier. He will be looking to put together a good run at the Paris Major, where he has never made it past the second round.
With eye on Wimbledon, Andy Murray withdraws from French Open
Andy Murray has withdrawn from the 2023 French Open in order to prioritize the grasscourt schedule, including the Wimbledon Championships.
After beating Tommy Paul to win the Provence Challenger, Murray stumbled to a first-round exit at the hands of Fabio Fognini at the Italian Open. The Brit also made an early exit at the ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux after defeat to Stan Wawrinka.
Murray expressed doubts about taking part in the Roland Garros this year, saying (via The Guardian):
“I don’t know. I’ll need to chat to my team about that and see what I do from here. There’s the possibility of playing the tournament next week in France. Whether I’d consider playing the week before the French Open or not, I really don’t know. I’ll need to have a chat with the team and see what the best thing to do is.”
“I trust my body now but I’m aware that my best chance of having a deep run is more likely to happen at Wimbledon,” the Brit added.
Andy Murray's withdrawal from the Paris Major was officially confirmed on Sunday, May 21, when his name was removed from the tournament's entry list. Since reaching the semifinals in 2017, the 36-year-old has only made one appearance at the event, with Stan Wawrinka beating him in the first round in 2020.