Andy Murray claims that his decision to not “feel sorry” for himself made it more likely that he would be well enough to compete in what is anticipated to be his farewell French Open match.
At the Miami Open in March, the 37-year-old British player, who intends to retire later this year, tore his ankle ligaments.
Murray returned to competition a fortnight ago, eschewing surgery.
It will be his only Roland Garros performance since 2017.
The former world number one admitted, “At first, I was expecting to miss the French and not play any clay at all.”
“So to be here and feeling pretty healthy, and the ankle being good, is a huge bonus.”
Many questioned whether Murray’s ankle ailment would prevent him from playing in the French Open as he stated earlier this year that he intends to “not play much beyond the summer”.
It also made him questionable for possible swansongs at Wimbledon in July and the Paris Olympics, which begin on the Roland Garros clay later that month.
Murray claims that at first he thought he would be out for “10–12 weeks,” but he competed at an ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux a little more than seven weeks later.
When the French Open begins on Sunday, Murray will face fellow three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka. “I was surprised how I was during the rehab – I felt really really motivated,” Murray said.
“With my team and physiotherapist, I worked incredibly hard every single day; there were no vacations or breaks for me to feel sorry for myself. All I did was the work.”
When “it would have been easy” to be less proactive, the Scot claimed he was “proud” of how he handled the setback. “That’s one of the reasons why I was able to come back a bit sooner than I anticipated,” he said.
Murray will face the 39-year-old Swiss player Rafael Wawrinka for the third time straight at Roland Garros. Murray has already lost in the 2020 first round and the 2017 semifinals, a match that worsened the hip problem that required career-saving surgery in 2019.
