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Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori pull out of Australian Open

Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori pull out of Australian Open

TIL Desk Sports/ Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has pulled out of the Australian Open after failing to recover from a hip injury, tournament organisers said on Thursday.

The three-time grand slam winner has not played a competitive match since a Wimbledon quarter-final loss last July and despite coming through a one-set exhibition in Abu Dhabi last week, the Briton has decided to focus on rehabilitation.

“Sadly I won’t be playing in Melbourne this year, as I am not yet ready to compete,” Murray, a five-time Australian Open runner-up, said in a statement. “I’ll be flying home shortly to assess all the options but I appreciate all the messages of support and I hope to be back playing soon.”

Earlier in the day, Japan’s Kei Nishikori has pulled out of this month’s Australian Open as he continues to recover from a wrist injury, the world number 22 said on Wednesday. The former US Open finalist, who last year reached the fourth round of the first grand slam of the season in Melbourne, has been sidelined since August and said he still could not handle playing best-of-five-set matches.

“The Aussie Open is my favorite slam… it’s my ‘home’ slam … and it hurts that I will have to miss it this year,” Nishikori, 28, said in a statement posted on his website.

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