Former ATP No. 1 Andy Murray has been recovering from a hip injury that's kept him out of every major since Wimbledon in 2017, so the last thing he needs is a weird scheduling quirk to force him further out of his comfort zone as he tries to return in time for the US Open. Enter the Citi Open in Washington D.C., in which Murray started a match at midnight that he needed to play until 3 a.m. to win. The late start was due to inclement weather. Murray, who withdrew from Wimbledon last month to continue his recovery for his hip, which he had surgery on in January, defeated Marius Copil in three sets 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). After the Round of 16 match, Murray sat in his chair and cried into a towel, according to The Washington Post. Murray has played three sets in each Citi Open match (best of threes), and he's played for over 2 1/2 hours every time. Murray went on to criticize the scheduling that forced him to play into Friday morning. "Finishing matches at 3 in the morning is not good," he said, per The Post. "It's not good for the players. It's not good for anyone, I don't think, involved in the event. It's not good for fans, TV. Nobody." After his match against Copil, Murray may have seen enough for the time being. He doesn't seem sold on playing on Friday. At the very least, he doesn't feel it should have to be a decision he has to make. "I'm giving my view right now as someone who's just come back from a very, very long injury layoff," he said. "I don't think I should be put in a position like that, when you're expected to come out and perform the next day. I don't think it's reasonable. And I'm disappointed with that, because I know that the weather's tricky and I know it is for the scheduling, but it's a very difficult position to be in." Murray has been very measured in his rehab. The 31-year-old said that he didn't want to play in Wimbledon last month just to play it. He wanted to be competitive. This marks the first time he's advanced to a quarterfinal in his comeback bid, so it's a step in the right direction. Should Murray elect to play Alex de Minaur on Friday, his match will begin at 8:30 p.m. The US Open, meanwhile, will begin at the end of August. Presumably that's what Murray is striving for.<doc-sep>SHATTERED Andy Murray broke down in tears after finally winning his epic last-16 clash at the Citi Open at 3am. Relief poured out of the Scot for almost two minutes after he beat Marius Copil to take another successful step in his stunning comeback. 8 Andy Murray broke down in floods of tears at the end of a marathon three-set win over Marius Copil Credit: Getty Images The former world number one – currently ranked 832nd – took out Copil 6-7 6-3 7-6 to set up a clash with Aussie youngster Alex de Minaur in what will be his first quarter-final in over a year. But Murray then threatened to pull out of the match – scheduled for the early hours of this morning – in a blast at organisers for starting the rain-delayed match at midnight to leave him exhausted. When asked his body is holding up, Murray replied: "It doesn't feel great, just now. "Not playing, potentially, is possible. 8 Murray cried into his towel as relief poured out at the end of his victory in Washington Credit: Sky Sports 8 Murray battled back after losing the first set in Washington Credit: Getty Images "As someone who's just come back from a very, very long injury lay-off, I don't think I should be put in a position like that when you're expected to come out and perform the next day. "I don't think it's reasonable. And I'm disappointed with that, because I know that the weather's tricky and I know it is for the scheduling, but it's a very difficult position to be in. "I don't know how you are expected to recover from that. By the time you're done with all your recovery and stuff, it's going to be 5:30, 6 o'clock in the morning. "I'd obviously try and sleep as late as I can, but with the way your body clock is and stuff, you know, you might get a few hours' sleep. "It's not good. And it's basically like playing two matches in a day. MOST READ IN TENNIS RETURN GAME Carla Suarez Navarro to play at French Open just a MONTH after cancer all-clear BABY JOY Andy Murray’s wife Kim gives birth to fourth child after secret lockdown pregnancy NEW HALLS PLEASE Federer's £6.5m home features stunning views of Lake Zurich & massive pool ONE LOVE Who is Xisca Perello? The wife of Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal GRAND GLAM Meet the Australian Open tennis Wags - from OnlyFans model to circus performer Pictured 'SO AGGRESSIVE' Ex-Wimbledon junior champ says topless pictures caused 'avalanche' of hate WAY TO GO, JO Johanna Konta secures passage into third round of Wimbledon in epic three-set win over Donna Vekic "Finishing matches at 3 in the morning is not good. It's not good for the players. It's not good for anyone, I don't think, involved in the event. It's not good for fans, TV. Nobody." Playing in just his third tournament since an 11-month break following surgery, it was an amazing show of resilience from Murray as his hip held out in his third three-set match this week. After all the doubts from pundits – and probably himself – about whether he would return to this kind of level, the 31-year-old sat on his chair and sobbed into his towel at the end of it. But there were not many Washington locals in to witness after play went on later than it ever has before in the tournament's 50-year history. 8 Marius Copil gave Murray a serious workout in the marathon three-set match Credit: Getty Images When Murray's energy returns he should feel even more battle-hardened, with his other wins this week over Mackenzie McDonald and Kyle Edmund also going the distance. There were encouraging signs as his rhythm improved throughout the match. The three-time Grand Slam winner looked to be cruising in a first set tie-break when he won five points in a row. But Copil, 27, turned the breaker on its head and won SEVEN points on the spin to move one set up. 8 Andy Murray beat Marius Copil to reach the quarter-finals of the Citi Open Credit: AP:Associated Press 8 Murray breaks down at the end of his win over Romanian player Marius Copil Credit: AP:Associated Press 8 Murray looked exhausted as he waved to fans at 3am following his emotional win Credit: Getty Images Falling a set behind appeared to spark him to life and he grabbed an early break in the second against the world number 93. The Scot secured the set with another break of serve to move the match to a decider. Copil's habit of missing first serves allowed Murray chances to grab another early break in the third. And Copil did drop his third service game – only to immediately inflict the same treatment on Murray and not offer him another sniff of a break with an avalanche of aces. Murray won the final set tie-break 7-4 at 3:02 in the morning before the tears flowed. 8 Murray still looked emotional as he walked off the court in Washington Credit: AP:Associated Press<doc-sep>Andy Murray has pulled out of his Citi Open quarter-final with Alex de Minaur in Washington. The former world No 1 cited fatigue having finished his third-round win against Marius Copil at 3.01am on Friday. Murray said in a statement on the ATP website: “I won’t be able to play my match tonight. I’m exhausted after playing so much over the past four days, having not competed on the hard courts for 18 months. I also need to be careful and to listen to my body as I come back from a long-term injury. “I’m gutted not to be playing and I’d like to thank the tournament and all the fans. There are lots of positives to take from this week, so I’ll take some time to rest and recover – I won’t play in Toronto next week – and then head to Cincinnati early to prepare and get ready.” Andy Murray had been left sobbing on court after a marathon victory over Copil, crying into his towel for several minutes after coming from a set down to win 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4). It was the first time he had reached the last eight of a tournament since Wimbledon in 2017. Murray had threatened to pull out immediately after beating Copil and was scathing in his comments over the scheduling on Friday morning. The Recap: sign up for a weekly digest of our best sport coverage. “Finishing matches at three in the morning is not good,” Murray said. “It’s not good for the players. It’s not good for anyone, I don’t think, involved in the event. It’s not good for fans, TV. Nobody. “I’m giving my view right now as someone who’s just come back from a very, very long injury lay-off. I don’t think I should be put in a position like that, when you’re expected to come out and perform the next day. I don’t think it’s reasonable. I know that the weather’s tricky for the scheduling but it’s a very difficult position to be in.” Murray, competing in only his third tournament after prolonged injury problems and hip surgery in January, had played a trio of three-set matches within four days. Victory over Copil was his latest ever finish to a match, having only come on to court at midnight, after rain caused the start of Thursday’s play to be delayed by more than three hours. If Murray had not withdrawn, the tournament would have presented an unexpected opportunity for his first ATP Tour final since winning in Dubai 18 months ago, with Russia’s Andrey Rublev the only seed left on his side of the draw. Having also withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Murray will next be in action at the Cincinnati Masters, which is due to begin on 11 August. Konta beaten by Mertens in San Jose Johanna Konta has been beaten 7-6 (4), 6-3 by Elise Mertens in the quarter-finals of the Silicon Valley Classic. Konta had seen off Serena Williams and Sofia Kenin at the California tournament, but the No 4 seed proved a step too far. The first set saw the two players exchange breaks before the Belgian took the tie-break and Konta lost her first two service games in the second set as Mertens wrapped up victory in an hour and 35 minutes.<doc-sep>Story highlights Murray says he is exhausted after two three-set encounters in two days The former No. 1 is returning from hip injury (CNN) An emotional Andy Murray sobbed into his towel on the side of the court after a grueling victory over world No. 93 Marius Copil in Washington -- a game that finished at 3 a.m. Friday local time. Hours later, tournament organizers confirmed on their website that Murray had withdrawn from Washington's Citi Open due to fatigue and would not play in the quarterfinals. He also will not compete in the Rogers Cup next week in Toronto, they said. "I'm exhausted after playing so much over the past four days, having not competed on the hard courts for 18 months," Murray said in a statement. "I also need to be careful and to listen to my body as I come from a long-term injury." Murray, who continues his return from hip surgery, overcame the Romanian 6-7 6-3 7-6 in his second three-set encounter in two days, having previously defeated fellow Briton Kyle Edmund. "Just the emotions coming at the end of an extremely long day and a long match," Murray, 31, said of his reaction to the Copil match, after which he sat crying into his towel for several minutes. Read More<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After playing until 3 a.m., then sobbing into a towel, Andy Murray made it clear he was not pleased with the prospect of having to play again so soon. Sure enough, he did not, instead withdrawing from his Citi Open quarterfinal Friday. Murray won a trio of three-setters, each lasting at least 2 1/2 hours, at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open, part of his comeback from surgery on his right hip. The three-time major champion cited fatigue when he pulled out of the Citi Open, hours before he was supposed to face 19-year-old Alex de Minaur for a semifinal berth. He also announced Friday that he was going to skip next week's Toronto Masters. Murray's 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4) third-round victory over Marius Copil began at midnight and ended just past 3 a.m. on Friday, with about 100 or so spectators in the main stadium. Afterward, Murray told a small group of reporters that he ''potentially'' could withdrew from the tournament. ''Finishing matches at 3 in the morning is not good. It's not good for the players. It's not good for anyone, I don't think, involved in the event. It's not good for fans, TV. Nobody,'' said Murray, a former No. 1 who had an operation on his right hip in January. Currently ranked 832nd, Murray ended an 11-month absence from the tour in June, playing just three matches before arriving at the Citi Open. ''I'm giving my view right now as someone who's just come back from a very, very long injury layoff. I don't think I should be put in a position like that, when you're expected to come out and perform the next day. I don't think it's reasonable,'' Murray said. ''And I'm disappointed with that, because I know that the weather's tricky and I know it is for the scheduling, but it's a very difficult position to be in.'' Thursday's play at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open was delayed at the outset by about 3 1/2 hours because of rain. Story continues Showers earlier in the week jumbled the schedule and forced some other men to play two matches on Thursday. Asked after beating Copil how his body is holding up, Murray replied: ''It doesn't feel great, just now.'' ''I don't know how you are expected to recover from that. By the time you're done with all your recovery and stuff, it's going to be 5:30, 6 o'clock in the morning. I'd obviously try and sleep as late as I can, but with the way your body clock is and stuff, you know, you might get a few hours' sleep,'' Murray said. ''It's not good. And it's basically like playing two matches in a day.'' After taking a 5-0 lead in the opening-set tiebreaker, Murray dropped seven consecutive points to hand the lead over to Copil. But, yelling at himself or his coach rather frequently, Murray came all the way back to win and improve to 4-2 in his comeback. When he got to the sideline after the match concluded, he covered his face with a towel and cried, his chest heaving. ''Just the emotions coming out at the end of an extremely long day,'' Murray said, ''and a long match.'' --- Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich --- More AP tennis coverage: https://www.apnews.com/tag/apf-Tennis