Andy Murray admits it’s “concerning” sweat testing provided no conclusive answers as to what is causing his cramp issues ahead of the US Open.
The 35-year-old has struggled with hot and humid conditions over the past few weeks, cramping in three different matches, including his loss to Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati last week.
Exactly why remains a mystery, though, after sweat tests attempting to determine a reason came back clear.
“It was all good,” he said. “Sweat test was good. Blood test was good. No illnesses.”
The 2012 US Open champion, who is ranked No 47, will be unseeded going into this year’s tournament and has drawn 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo from Argentina in the opening round.
Murray was beaten in three sets by fellow Brit Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati after suffering from cramp late on in the match
The Scot will now go into that match, first up on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday, unsure as to the cause of his recent problems but is hopeful he will be ready to compete at the tournament where he broke his Grand Slam duck a decade ago.
“I think it would be nice if you were one thing, you were deficient in something, maybe it is because of that,” he said.
“But at least I know now it is more down to either conditioning or hydration or food-related. That is something I can obviously control a little bit as well.
“But I feel like I am in decent shape so that it is why it is concerning. I don’t really know why it has happened. Last few days in practice I have actually felt a bit better in the conditions and everything so hopefully I will be alright on Monday.”
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Murray believes his game has not been consistent enough this year with the former world No 1 having failed to pick up an ATP title for the first time since 2019, despite reaching finals in Sydney and Stuttgart.
His form on the American hardcourts does not bode well for his chances heading into the US Open where he will come up against Bastad winner Cerundolo before a potential date with Australian veteran John Millman and then what could be a blockbuster clash former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini further down the line.
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Murray recently hinted he may just stop playing tennis rather than announce a date for his retirement from the sport
“From the tennis side of things I’ve had some good wins and some tough losses. It’s not quite happened at one of the big events yet, so that’s been disappointing,” he said.
“It’s just not been consistent enough and consistency is what matters over the course of the year. You can do it for the odd match or two but if it’s not the same for large parts of the year then you’re not going to win as many of those matches you would like.”
Daniil Medvedev will be out to defend his US Open title in New York
Murray also believes this year’s Grand Slam is the “most open” it has been in years, saying: “I would imagine some of the guys who you would expect to go deep, will do. (Daniil) Medvedev, Rafa (Nadal), (Carlos) Alcaraz and (Stefanos) Tsitsipas – these guys.
“I do think there will be an opportunity for Cam (Norrie). He’s been very consistent against the guys ranked beneath him for the most part this year. He’s definitely got a chance of a good run. When it’s hot and humid that can help his game and the courts here are quite fast.
“Certainly the heat and the humidity is a positive for him.”
Andy Murray is wearing The Drive Collection from his signature AMC range during this year’s US Open, created to deliver a new standard in tennis performance clothing. View the kit at www.castore.com/collections/amc.
