WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray said Sunday “it's impossible" to know yet whether he will be able to compete at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, even if he is “feeling better every day” as he recovers from surgery to remove a cyst from his spine.
The 37-year-old Murray is scheduled to play in the first-round of singles at the All England Club on Tuesday. He and his older brother, Jamie, were given a wild-card invitation for doubles, too, and that event starts later in the week.
The Scot had back surgery on June 22 after needing to stop during a match a few days earlier at Queen's Club. He said the cyst was compressing a nerve and making his right leg numb and difficult to use, and he figured before the operation it was “highly likely” he would miss Wimbledon.
“It's been a tough 10 days,” he said.
Murray played a practice set Sunday.
“It went pretty well, but I still don't have 100% feeling and sensation in my leg,” he said.
Murray plans to undergo medical tests on Monday — the first day of Wimbledon — and play another practice set, and then probably will make a decision in the evening.
Murray owns a total of three major championships: He won the U.S. Open in 2012, and Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016. His 2013 title made him the first British man to win the singles trophy at the All England Club in 77 years.
He also is the only player with two consecutive tennis gold medals in singles at the Olympics. He won at London in 2012 — when the sport’s Summer Games matches were held at the All England Club — and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Murray underwent a pair of hip operations in 2018 and 2019. While he thought he would need to retire after the second surgery, in which he received a metal hip implant, Murray eventually returned to action.
He has since been hampered by various health issues, including tearing ligaments in his left ankle at the Miami Open in March.
Murray lost in the first round of the French Open in May.
He is not the only 37-year-old with multiple Wimbledon championships on his record who is dealing with recovery from recent surgery: Novak Djokovic, who won seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the All England Club, had a procedure to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee less than a month ago after getting hurt at the French Open.
Djokovic said Saturday he feels well enough to compete at Wimbledon — and perhaps even contend for another trophy.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Britain's Andy Murray reacts on the practice court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, Saturday June 29, 2024. The Wimbledon Championships begin on July 1. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Britain's Andy Murray reacts on the practice court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, Saturday June 29, 2024. The Wimbledon Championships begin on July 1. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Britain's Andy Murray on the practice court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, Saturday June 29, 2024. The Wimbledon Championships begin on July 1. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Britain's Andy Murray and his coaching team on the practice court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, Saturday June 29, 2024. The Wimbledon Championships begin on July 1. (John Walton/PA via AP)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s presidential candidates on Monday accused each other of having no solution for the country’s problems ahead of Friday's runoff election aimed at choosing a successor for the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash.
During a more than two-hour debate on public TV, reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian attacked his competitor, Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, for his lack of experience, saying: “Tell me, what single company have you ever managed to make you capable of running the country?
Jalili, who is known as the “Living Martyr” after losing a leg in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and is famous among Western diplomats for his haranguing lectures and hard-line stances, defended himself highlighting his career and several positions held, including that of top nuclear negotiator.
Pezeshkian further questioned his opponent on what plans he would have for reaching a nuclear deal, with Jalili responding he would approach it "based on strength not weakness,” without providing details.
Jalili accused Pezeshkian of having no plans for managing the country, saying his presidency would drive the country to a “backward position,” as it was under relatively moderate former President Hassan Rouhani (2013-2021). Rouhani struck a nuclear deal with world powers that capped Iran's uranium enrichment in return to lifting sanctions but later, in 2018, President Trump pulled the U.S. out from the landmark deal abruptly restoring harsh sanctions on Iran.
Jalili said that “with the support of people,” Iran would achieve an economic growth of 8% a year, a promise Pezeshkian mocked, saying authorities should be allowed to “execute him if he failed” to deliver on it.
Iran must implement "a dynamic foreign policy” if it wants to have a successful economy, Jalili said, adding that it should not be limited to those nations that it has a problem with — a reference to the U.S. and the western world. Instead, he said, "Iran should look to the other 200 nations in the world where “foreign relations should be improved."
Pezeshkian said his foreign policy will be based on “engagement with the world" including engaging in "negotiations for lifting sanctions.”
Both sides promised to address the problems of the country's poor, workers, women, ethnic groups and religious minorities, and vowed to provide better and faster internet — a plea to a younger generation that showed apathy during Friday's vote.
Pezeshkian and Jalili also said the low turnout in the first round — the lowest-ever poll turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history — should be probed.
“It is not acceptable that some 60 percent (of voters) did not cast a ballot,” said Pezeshkian.
The candidates will have their second and last debate Tuesday.
Follow the AP’s coverage of global elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/
In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, candidate for the presidential election Saeed Jalili, left, a hard-line former Iranian top nuclear negotiator, and reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands after the conclusion their debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, candidate for the presidential election Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former Iranian top nuclear negotiator, arrives for his debate with the reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, reformist candidate for the presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian, right, speaks in his debate with the hard-line candidate Saeed Jalili at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, candidate for the presidential election Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former Iranian top nuclear negotiator, speaks in a debate with the reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, reformist candidate for the presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian speaks in his debate with the hard-line candidate Saeed Jalili at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, candidate for the presidential election Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former Iranian top nuclear negotiator, arrives for his debate with the reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, reformist candidate for the presidential election Masoud Pezeshkian arrives for his debate with the hard-line candidate Saeed Jalili at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
