Andy Murray pulls out of Queen’s with stomach strain… but is still hopeful of playing at Wimbledon

Andy Murray faces a week of pre-Wimbledon uncertainty after being forced to pull out of the cinch Championships with injury.

The 35 year-old Scot still hopes to play at SW19 despite being diagnosed with a strained stomach muscle, sustained in Sunday’s Stuttgart Open final.

‘After having a scan this afternoon, an abdominal injury means I won’t be fit to compete at Queen’s,’ said Murray, a five-times champion in West London. 

‘The tournament means a lot to me, and it’s disappointing not to compete, especially after playing some good matches on the grass already.’

This is a major setback for the double All England Club winner, although it is not a tear, which would have put him out of the reckoning altogether.

Taking in Surbiton and Stuttgart he played nine matches in 14 days, which is an unusual workload for his body in recent years.

In a best case scenario he would like to play an exhibition match at the Hurlingham Club next week, but has been advised to rest before then.

The two-time Wimbledon champion is still hopeful of competing at SW19 later this month

Jack Draper underlined his exciting potential with a 6-3 6-2 win over world No 14 Taylor Fritz

That will mean more focus on Jack Draper, who underlined his exciting potential as he celebrated both cracking the world’s top 100 and his biggest win yet by ranking.

His 6-3 6-2 defeat of world No 14 Taylor Fritz was some compensation for the later exit of British number one Cam Norrie, edged out by Grigor Dimitrov.

The occasion stood in contrast to Draper’s debut twelve months ago when attendances were cut to 25% and he made the quarter finals. If he wins his next round, against either Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori or Frenchman Quentin Halys, he will have successfully backed that up.

‘Last year was very different, there were still some people in the crowd that this is more like what it was when I was a kid when I came here, always buzzing and a really good atmosphere,’ he said.

‘This week’s a massive milestone for me, breaking the top hundred. There is a lot of work that has gone into it. After last year I had to really focus on my fitness, and to try and be better at this level and I think it shows.’

With doubts over Murray’s fitness, there will be an increased focus on 20-year-old Draper

Draper acquitted himself well when he faced Novak Djokovic on Centre Court last summer, but more significant was his run at the start of this season.

He reeled off four Challenger titles within two months, a highly unusual feat, in small arenas very different to the 9,500 capacity of this week.

‘I think going out in front of a lot of people and playing is always tough. But I know that if I want to be a top player one day, these are the sort of things I have to deal with,’ he said.

‘At this stage I’m a bit of an underdog going in as well, so I feel like I should have no fear.’

His underling status may soon be a thing of the past, as he showed in comfortably beating the Californian who took the prestigious Indian Wells title in March.

Nobody will relish the task of tackling him in the coming weeks, not with a lefthanded serve that was soon scorching the turf at 134mph.

Cam Norrie was beaten 6-7 6-1 6-4 by Grigor Dimitrov in a tightly contested first round match

When the rallies developed he was more than a match for Fritz, and his pounding of these heavy Slazenger balls with his forehand is already about as powerful as anyone on the tour.

Norrie was beaten 6-7 6-1 6-4 in a tightly contested first round against former Queen’s champion Grigor Dimitrov, who served 18 aces.

The British number one was relatively sanguine afterwards, saying: ‘I was actually pleased with my level, but he was too good on a few big points.’

Harriet Dart made the second round of the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham with a 6-2 6-0 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio.