3-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray pulls out of clay-court French Open

Britain's Andy Murray leaves after he lost his match against Italy's Fabio Fogini during the Rome Masters tennis tournament in Rome, Italy, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray has withdrawn from the clay-court French Open, organizers said Sunday.

The 36-year-old British player lost in the 2016 final to Novak Djokovic and reached four other semifinals at Roland Garros in western Paris.

Play begins there May 28 and the tournament will also be without record 14-time champion Rafael Nadal. The 36-year-old Spaniard announced on Thursday that his lingering hip injury still has not healed properly.

An earlier report from British broadcaster BBC said Murray is skipping the French Open to prioritize Wimbledon, where he was won two of his majors on grass.

Murray lost in the first round of the Italian Open last week and was then beaten 6-3, 6-0 by fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka at an ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux on Wednesday.

Wimbledon begins on July 3.

Murray reached the No. 1-ranking in late 2016. That stellar year he reached three major finals -- winning Wimbledon for the second time -- clinched his second Olympic gold medal in singles, and beat Djokovic to win the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals.

Murray, who had hip operations in 2018 and 2019 -- with a metal implant inserted the second time -- won an ATP Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence in early May for his first tournament trophy since 2019.