Andy Murray apologises to expectant fans on Centre Court after withdrawing from Wimbledon singles... but claims he is 'proud' of his herculean effort to be fit in time

READ MORE: Andy Murray's men's singles career at Wimbledon is OVER Murray practised with brother Jamie on Tuesday before speaking to reporters LIVE: Follow all the action from Wimbledon right here with our dedicated blog 

Andy Murray declared himself 'proud' of the herculean effort he made to be fit for a final singles match at Wimbledon, but that ultimately it came 'a few days too soon'.

The 37-year-old pulled out of his first-round match against Tomas Machac at 10.15am this morning and then spoke to reporters after an afternoon practice with his brother Jamie, with whom he will play the men's doubles.

'I decided this morning,' he said. 'I slept on it. I told my team and my family I didn't think I was going to play based on how I felt yesterday.

'I practised pretty well. I was playing pretty good but I just wasn't happy with how my leg was feeling.

'I wanted to sleep on it and make sure I was happy with the decision and also to give myself a chance when I woke up this morning to see if it felt much better.

Andy Murray made the decision to withdraw from what was to be his final Wimbledon singles

He is still due to play doubles at Wimbledon with his brother Jamie (right) later in the week

'I ran around a bit at home this morning when I got up. It just wasn't where I wanted it to be unfortunately.

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'Probably a few days too soon but I am proud, I worked extremely hard to at least give myself a chance to play. Yeah, it was the right decision.'

Murray had surgery on Saturday, June 22 to remove a cyst from his spine.

'It is obviously extremely disappointing I wasn't able to play but where I am at, 10 days after the operation, in comparison of where I was told I would be and my expectations were, I think it is incredible really.

'I practised with my brother today and I look forward to playing in the doubles on Thursday.'

Going into more detail on his decision to withdraw from the singles, he added: 'It wasn't a clearcut decision. I thought long and hard about it. I practiced a few sets of singles and did well in those practices.

'I certainly wasn't moving as I would like but it was still able to be really competitive and it was just whether or not I was comfortable going out there and not feeling like I was able to give my 100 per cent.

'Doubles is a slightly different game in terms of the physicality of it and yeah I am looking forward to that.

Murray is 'proud' of his efforts to be fit in time but says his Tuesday match came too soon

Murray had surgery on his back to remove a cyst and it has been a difficult recovery

Murray addressed the media about his reasoning and he apologised to expectant fans

'Getting the opportunity to play with Jamie here will be special - we've never done that before. Hopefully we can have a good run.'

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There will be many disappointed Centre Court fans today, especially those who had queued almost 24 hours to get a chance to see Murray for a last time.

'I'm sorry for everyone who came and wanted to support and watch again,' said Murray.

'I wanted that moment as well, as much for me as for the people that have supported me over the years.

'The fans but also my closest friends, family, my team. It was important for me to do that with them as well. It was one of those things. The timing was horrible, the surgery was a complex one and it wasn't to be.'

Confirming his endgame plans, Murray said: 'I plan on playing the Olympics, that will be my last tournament.'

As for the singles: 'I'll see how I feel, I still don't know exactly how this is going to recover, most days it has been getting better but I still don't have the total feeling and normality back in my leg yet.

'My hope is that it does and then I'll have to make a call based on how the next few weeks go. We'll see.'