Former world number one Andy Murray has confirmed he will not be taking part in next month's Australian Open after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. "Gutted to share that I won't be flying out to Australia to compete at the Australian Open," Murray was quoted as saying by British media on Friday. "We've been in constant dialogue...to try and find a solution which would allow some form of workable quarantine, but we couldn't make it work." The 33-year-old Murray, a wildcard, confirmed last Thursday that he had tested positive for the virus and was in self-isolation at his home near London. That meant he was unable to take one of the charter flights laid on by Australian Open organisers, leaving him facing a race to be able to arrive in time to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine period as per health protocols. It is a major blow to the five-time Australian Open runner-up who last played at the tournament in 2019. On that occasion, after a first-round defeat by Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, he received an emotional farewell on the court as it appeared his career was coming to a close because of a long-standing hip injury. After another surgery, however, Murray returned to the Tour later in 2019. Last year he played only seven Tour-level matches because of injury and the disruption caused by the pandemic. The three-time Grand Slam champion, currently ranked 123rd in the world, had pulled out of the season-opening Delray Beach Open in Florida earlier this month to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
