Andy Murray announced he would not play singles at the US Open after losing in his long-awaited return from hip surgery at the Cincinnati Masters.
The Scot lost 6-4 6-4 to Richard Gasquet in his first singles match since his first round exit from January’s Australian Open before saying he had turned down a wildcard into the men’s draw at the year’s final grand slam.
“I am not going to play US Open singles,” Murray said.
“I didn’t feel I was able to make that decision before today’s match.”
The 32-year-old indicated, though, that he would play doubles and mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows in two weeks and left open the door for possibly for playing before then.
“I may play Winston-Salem potentially,” he said of the North Carolina event, which starts in six days.
“But I’ll probably look at just playing doubles and mixed doubles. That’s what I will do at the US Open.”
The former world No.1 arrived on centre court to huge cheers, with his good friend Nick Kyrgios among the interested onlookers.
In his first match since the hip resurfacing surgery which he hopes will prolong his career, Murray started tentatively but improved over the course of the encounter.
Although, he was always up against it after Gasquet broke his serve to start both sets.
“I don’t really know what I was expecting, to be honest. I think I did OK,” Murray told a news conference.
“I think there was a lot of things I would like to have done better in the match, but, you know, you also have to be somewhat realistic, as well, in terms of what you can expect.”
Not having playing singles tennis for several months had an obvious impact, he said.
“I think physically, you know, my legs were a little bit heavy at the end of the match in comparison to maybe what they normally would be if you played a bunch,” he said.
“I was having to move quite a lot laterally, and I didn’t move forward particularly well.
“Like when he drop-shotted, there was a few times I didn’t even run to the ball, didn’t react to it, and that’s nothing to do with my hip.”