Andy Murray retired from his second-round match at the Queen’s Club on Wednesday after calling the physio and receiving a medical time-out.
And now the limping former world No.1 is a fitness doubt for his planned final events Wimbledon and the Olympics.
He shook hands with his opponent Jordan Thompson trailing 1-4 and returned to the court to applaud the crowd.
If this was his final match at the Queen’s Club where he has won five titles, it was a sad way to go. The Scot, 37, admitted: “I have felt better” after beating Aussie Alexei Popyrin in his 1,000th ATP match on Tuesday.
The world No.129 was back on the Centre Court at Queen’s Club today – and had clearly not recovered from his exertions of the previous day.
Playing world No.43 Jordan Thompson, Murray served in the first game but could not move to the Aussie’s first return.
His physio Shane Annun appeared to signal to the Scot to stop as he was quickly broken in front of a stunned crowd.
In the third point of the second game, Thompson sent a sliced serve out wide which Murray could only watch fly past him. There was almost embarrassed applause from the crowd.
Murray somehow held his serve to trail 2-1 before taking a medical timeout for treatment on his hip and leg.
He returned to court. Murray chased a drop shot on the final point of the fourth game but after putting the ball back in court, he carried on limping to allow Thompson an easy winner.
The three-time Grand Slam champion limped to the net after the fifth game and shook hands at the net.
Thompson, who beat Murray here in 2017, said: It is never the way you want to go though, especially against a great champion.”
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