Andy Murray follows in Roger Federer's footsteps with decision to skip clay season, but will it pay off?

Andy Murray will not be playing on the clay this season. Murray announced ahead of competing at this week’s Rotterdam Open that he will skip the entire clay swing to “rest and recover” ahead of the summer. Ad/> It is a decision which means Murray will not play any top-level competitive tennis for two months.

One wonders if Murray looked to Roger Federer before making the decision. ATP RotterdamMurray set to skip Roland Garros — and entire clay court seasonYESTERDAY AT 14:06 Federer decided a few years ago that it was not in his best interests – which are largely centered around winning Wimbledon – to play on clay any longer. In 2016 he played just five matches on clay due to injury, and in 2017 and 2018 he didn’t play on the surface at all.

“In order to try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come, I feel it's best to skip the clay court season this year and prepare for the grass and hard court seasons,” said Federer in 2017, when he was 35 and still recovering from knee surgery a year earlier. That summer Federer won Wimbledon for the eighth time. He has since played a handful of clay events in 2019 and 2021, including the French Open both years, but the days of Federer slogging it out on dirt on a weekly basis are long gone.

Serena Williams also decided several years ago that she would no longer be playing regularly on clay. Murray to skip French Open and entire clay season Moya: Djokovic's career in serious danger It is not surprising that Murray has made the same call. While Murray often seems to thrive in long, gruelling matches, they come with an element of risk.