Andy Murray uncertain about Paris Olympics participation despite ITF selection

Murray, who back in February signalled his intention to retire later this year, has been granted an International Tennis Federation (ITF) place — effectively a wild card — to compete in the singles’ event of the Olympic tennis tournament at Roland Garros due to being a former grand-slam winner and gold medallist.

Team GB announced its tennis squad for Paris at Queen’s Club on Sunday and while Murray is currently only down to play singles, the two-time Olympic champion has been nominated for a place in the doubles alongside Dan Evans.

The British duo will find out on June 25 if the ITF — the world governing body of tennis who will run the tournament — has granted them a spot but Murray again cast doubt over his participation in France later this summer if he cannot feature in the doubles competition.

“I am not 100 per cent sure,” Murray revealed at Queen’s Club, while dressed in a Team GB tracksuit.

“It depends a little bit physically how I am doing. How the next few weeks go as well. Yeah, my plan just now is to play, but it is not straightforward.

“I’ll find out in the next 10 days or so on the doubles and what’s going to happen there. Hopefully me and Evo get the chance to play.

“We’re playing doubles here and at the French. I don’t know if we’ll play any other tournaments before that, but hopefully we get in. It’s not confirmed yet.”

Murray is one of four male singles players selected by LTA Olympic team leader Iain Bates alongside Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Evans, with Katie Boulter the sole female participant after Emma Raducanu turned down the prospect of a potential ITF place.

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski will definitely represent Team GB in the men’s doubles and may be joined by the pairing of Murray and Evans.

Team GB could have partnered Murray with Salisbury and Evans with Skupski until the latter dropped out of the ATP doubles’ top-10 on Monday, which meant Skupski lost his automatic Olympics selection and had to be paired with world number five Salisbury.

On the prospect of Murray and Evans being granted a place in the doubles competition by the ITF, Bates insisted: “We’re confident.

“We’ve done our various projections around how we think it will work. Once you get to a certain stage in the acceptance list, it becomes singles-singles priority.

“The fact Dan and Andy are both singles, actually gives them a better chance of getting into the draw than a singles-doubles combination based on the rankings of the playing group that we have on the acceptance date. So, yeah we’re confident.”

Bates had insisted earlier on Sunday that he was positive Murray would appear at a fifth Olympics.

Murray made his debut at the Beijing Games in 2008 before he won gold in the singles’ at the 2012 and 2016 editions, while he appeared in the doubles’ in Tokyo three years ago.

“He is without question one of our greatest Olympians,” Bates acknowledged.

“Having been through three Olympics with him, I think it means a lot not only to our team but the wider Team GB that Andy is with us. Let’s hope things fall in our favour and the team is as we’ve just announced.”

Team GB’s seven-person squad could be extended if the women’s doubles nomination of Boulter and Heather Watson is granted on June 25.

A combination of Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden has also been put forward, but the mixed doubles pairings will be decided at the tournament, which is due to run between July 27 and August 4.

British number two Norrie turned down the chance to be involved in the Tokyo Games, but is excited about representing Team GB next month.

Norrie added: “It is an honour to go and I think it’s going to be a really good one in Paris. I really like the city there.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect with the (Covid-19) rules and everything there (at Tokyo).

“I am really happy to be playing and representing my country this time in Paris. I think it will be an amazing experience.”