Andy Murray withdraws from Queen's in fresh injury scare less than TWO WEEKS before what could be his final Wimbledon... as he pulls out of second-round clash against Jordan Thompson

Andy Murray is a doubt for Wimbledon after retiring from his second-round match at the Queen’s Club when a back issue flared up.

The 37-year-old could barely walk but lasted five games against Jordan Thompson before pulling out. 

He has battled nerve pain in his back for years and this appears to have suddenly spread down his leg, just before he hobbled down the clubhouse steps and out on to court.

‘I have been struggling with my back for a while,’ said Murray. ‘Then I had loss of power in my right leg. Loss of motor control, had no coordination. Yeah, couldn't move.’

Asked if he will be fit for Wimbledon – which could potentially be the final tournament of his career - Murray replied: ‘I wouldn't know. Maybe there is something that can be done between now and then. I will get scans and get it rechecked and see if there's anything that can be done.'

A back injury was later confirmed as the official reason for withdrawal. If it was just a spasm or a tweak, all may yet be well. Anything more sinister and he is surely a doubt for Wimbledon, which is only 11 days away. 

The 37-year-old was limping in the warm-up for his 1,001st Tour-level match and then on the first point, Thompson returned serve and Murray took a ghastly, halting, lurching step and got nowhere near the ball. It was horribly clear at once that something was seriously wrong.

Footage from before the match showed him emerging from the locker room and walking down the Queen's Club stairs incredibly gingerly. But one imagines if he had been struggling this badly on Wednesday morning, he would not even have taken the court. 

And John Lloyd, on BBC pundit duty, reported that Murray had seemed fine when he saw him in the player's lounge earlier in the day. It was all rather mysterious. 

A deathly silence settled on the Queen's Club as Thompson pushed the ball back in play enough times to break an opponent who could barely walk.

It was then only a matter of time but Murray grimly – and, frankly, inexplicably – soldiered on for another four games, somehow winning one.

He had a medical timeout after three games and received significant treatment to his back.

Every step he took sent a shiver down the spine, so obvious was his discomfort. It was a defeat here on this same court and to this same opponent that was one of the clearest signs that his hip was becoming unmanageable in 2017.

At 3-1 down, Murray was broken again with a double fault. That is surely, at a minimum, the final stroke he will play in competition here at the Queen's Club, where he is a five-time champion. What a grotesque way for him to finish.

This was the first time Murray had withdrawn from a match since 2013, against Marcel Granollers. That was with back pain as well, and Murray had back surgery in September of that year. 

That previous withdrawal came on the clay of Rome, and Murray has often said that surface always causes him back pain. He played the French Open this year for the first time since 2020; it would be cruel indeed if that decision to have one last trip to Paris contributed to his exit here. 

If this is an injury that could threaten his participation at Wimbledon, then where this leaves Murray's future plans is anyone's guess. 

He hinted he might retire after Wimbledon or the Olympics. If he cannot make the All England Club and faces rehab to get back on the clay, his hopes for a joyous farewell would be left in tatters.