"If a tournament invites me to come and play in the main draw are you suggesting I should turn it down?" - Andy Murray

Murray has been criticized for recieving too many wildcards
Murray has been criticized for recieving too many wildcards

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has decided to play in the 2022 Madrid Open after having earlier opted to sit out the entire claycourt season.

The Brit, who has received several main draw wildcards, has been responding to criticism that he is wasting them at the cost of local talent.

Andy Murray also stated that he does intend to play qualifiers for the Italian Open, questioning why he should reject an offer to play in the main draw when invited to do so.

"More than happy to play qualifying. Will most likely play qualifiers in Rome. If a tournament invites me to come and play in the main draw are you suggesting I should turn it down and play qualifiers?"

Andy Murray replied to a tweet which asked if he was taking a potential spot from a Spanish player who could have used the wildcard instead.

Another tweet pointed out the sheer number of wildcards that the two-time Wimbledon champion has been offered in the recent past.

Murray was also skeptical about linking nationality with wildcards, pointing out that being British did not make him more deserving of a Wimbledon wildcard.

Andy Murray and the claycourt dilemma

Murray is now apprehensive of playing on claycourt owing to previous injuries
Murray is now apprehensive of playing on claycourt owing to previous injuries

Murray had initially decided to miss the spring clay season as he felt playing on clay could leave him vulnerable to injuries.

"Right now I am not planning on playing through the clay . The past couple of years, the clay has made issues worse."
"Last year I had some issues at the beginning of the year, the clay didn’t help, so I’ve spoken to my team about that and this year, while I feel good and healthy, I don’t want to take that risk."

Fans, however, pointed out that missing the entirety of the clay season wasn't a wise idea, welcoming Murray's move to play in Madrid, while others were perplexed at why the 34-year-old was returning to clay when he did not intend to be at Roland-Garros.

An emotional Andy Murray had announced that he planned to retire after the 2019 Australian Open at some point at Wimbledon that year owing to his chronic hip injury. However, subsequent hip resurfacing surgery helped him make an unlikely comeback into the top level of the sport.

Murray's reluctance to play on claycourt has been linked to everything that transpired prior to the career-saving operation with the Briton being apprehensive about the rigors associated with the surface.

The Briton was a losing finalist at the 2016 French Open, which was also his best-ever performance at Roland-Garros.

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