Murray's Racket Change Sparks Wimbledon Retirement Question

Back at the Miami Open, 36 year old former Wimbledon winner Andy Murray ruptured his ankle ligaments, and he has again been on the injury sidelines since late March - but he is finally ready to return to the court.

The three time Grand Slam winner is expected to announce his retirement this season but he has so far refused to set a date, stating simply sometime this 'summer', and it seems like he wants to try and pack one last round of certain tournaments in first. For those who like a flutter, we all know Murray plans on a Wimbledon return But when you’re betting on Wimbledon, it’s important to know how to strategise your bets for the best outcome.

In preparation for the upcoming French Open, he has now confirmed he will play at an ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux as a warm up exercise, before returning to the main ATP Tour at the Geneva Open.

When Roland Garros kicks off on May 26, Murray has already confirmed his intention to compete in both the singles and the doubles, where he will partner up with fellow Brit Dan Evans.

It is then widely believed that this will take him to a final swansong at Wimbledon and the Olympics, and he has also now confirmed that he has entered the Surbiton Trophy as part of his preparations for the Wimbledon grass challenge that he knows so well.

Those with a keen Tennis eye will note that Surbiton takes place in the second week of the French Open, which would indicate Murray is more interested in saying a goodbye, rather than anticipating a longer stay in Paris.

Others would also suggest that it demonstrates that his priority is clearly on putting his full competitive focus on one last hurrah at SW19. Murray fans, and those in the wider world of tennis, would more than appreciate that such a focus in his retirement year would that makes all the sense in the world as Wimbledon will naturally be very close to his heart.

The only really curious thing as he returns from injury and prepares for his Wimbledon return is that Murray has also made a major equipment decision. He has reportedly ditched his HEAD Radical racket and switched to the Yonex brand, even though he will only presumably use them for a few short months.

This is a 20 year equipment change that has set tongues wagging that maybe he does not intend to retire after Wimbledon and the Olympics as originally expected. That is probably thinking too far into things in fairness, as it has also been suggested that he has simply been training with the Yonex racket because in anticipation of his retirement before the end of the year, his HEAD deal has now lapsed.

Others with racket expertise offer that the new model 'should give him a bigger sweet spot and thus more access to power' which would obviously be a major bonus to him given his injury issues if he intends to go out with a real bang in his final few tournaments.

Whatever the driver behind the switch though, it is certainly a bold call when you consider his long familiarity with the brand, but if he feels it will give him a subtle advantage back in London, who are we to argue.