Andy Murray has declined an invitation to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony for the second year in a row – even though bookmakers have made him a clear favourite to win the award on Sunday night.
The Wimbledon champion, who had a back operation in September, says he is reluctant to interrupt his intense training and rehabilitation sessions in Miami just five weeks away from the first grand slam tournament of 2014, the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Murray, who won Olympic gold and the US Open in 2012, captured the nation’s affection when he beat Novak Djokovic in three sets to become the first British Wimbledon men’s champion in 77 years in July. The final attracted the biggest audience of the year, 17.3m, and his semi-final win over the Pole Jerzy Janowicz drew 13.2m viewers, so the Scot’s chances of winning the viewer vote for the 2013 award are strong and he is the overwhelming favourite.
Murray thought hard in recent weeks about missing the awards, having declined an invitation last year, when he finshed third. That time, a video link went comically wrong when the former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis missed his cue to present Murray with his trophy. There will be another video link this Sunday, although almost certainly he will receive the major prize this time. It is not know if Lewis has been asked to assist him.
Murray has a good relationship with the BBC – he has a column on their website during major tournaments – and was anxious his decision did not appear to be a snub. “I’m looking forward to linking up with the show live on the night and being part of it all.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We are of course disappointed that Andy Murray cannot be in Leeds in person but are very much looking forward to him joining us live on the night via link-up.”
Murray did well to get through Wimbledon, let alone win the title, as a chronic back problem had forced him to quit during a match in Rome earlier in the summer and he had to miss the French Open to prepare for London. Although there were no guarantees his operation in September – described as a “minor surgical procedure” – would be successful, the alternative was to continue to play with pain-killers, which he has been doing for at least two years.
The Australian Open is his priority, but he has yet to confirm entry and is adamant he will not play unless he thinks he can win. He has not played a competitive match since helping Great Britain win their Davis Cup tie against Croatia after the US Open in September. It is thought that final exertion on his least favourite surface, clay, aggravated his back complaint and made surgery inevitable.
Murray will train every day until Boxing Day – missing Christmas with his girlfriend Kim Sears and the rest of his family – in preparation for his return to competition in Abu Dhabi, where he is scheduled to play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Guardian Service
