Andy Murray 'gutted' after his injury heartache drags on with shoulder problem... as he withdraws from Davis Cup ahead of Novak Djokovic clash to get ready for next season

 An often frustrating season for Andy Murray is officially over after he pulled out of next week’s Davis Cup finals week with injury.

The 36-year-old Scot sustained a shoulder strain in training and so will not be travelling to Malaga to prepare for Thursday’s quarter- final against Serbia.

It brings down the curtain on a season which had promised plenty for Murray, who described himself as ‘gutted’ to withdraw with a ‘minor’ problem in his shoulder.

He staged two remarkable comebacks at the Australian Open in January and then reached the final of the Qatar Open, raising hopes he could make a real impact once again.

However, what followed has been a trend towards narrow losses in the bigger events, none of them more galling than at Wimbledon, where he led Stefanos Tsitsipas by two sets to one before play had to be suspended. 

Murray still believes he can be a factor at the big events and his plans for the coming months do not suggest retirement is on the agenda.

He has scheduled a December training block in Dubai with Jonny O’Mara and Mark Hilton, the two coaches guiding him after a final split from Ivan Lendl. He is also confirmed to play in Brisbane at the start of January, ahead of the Australian Open.

With Dan Evans already out of Malaga, Murray’s absence is a blow, although not what it once might have been. Against Serbia the highest-ranked player will have to face Novak Djokovic — Cam Norrie now looks sure to have that responsibility — and the key singles match is expected to be Jack Draper against Serbia’s No 2, probably Laslo Djere.

In what could prove to be the decisive doubles, it already looked likely that the British pair would be the Wimbledon and US Open champion combo of Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury, probably facing Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic.