Murray pulls out in Basel

Published November 20, 2014

Andy Murray pulled out of the draw Wednesday at the $1.72 million Swiss Indoors tennis event, citing a right gluteal muscle strain.

Murray was the second seed in Basel, where he was replaced in the field by Swiss lucky-loser Marco Chiudinelli. Murray was scheduled to meet Dutchman Robin Haase in an opening-round affair on Day 3 at St. Jakobshalle.

The 2011 Australian Open runner-up Murray headed to Basel having won his last three tournaments, all during the ATP's Asian swing. He's currently riding a 13-match winning streak.

The field in Basel also lost its sixth seed on Wednesday, as rising Serb Janko Tipsarevic was trailing German Florian Mayer 1-5 in the first of their opening-round match when Tipsarevic called it quits. Tipsarevic captured his first-ever ATP title in Kuala Lumpur last month, and then titled again, in St. Petersburg, later in October.

Also on the court on Wednesday, third-seeded Basel native Roger Federer will face Finn Jarkko Nieminen in the second round in a rematch of the 2007 final here, which was won by the four-time Swiss Indoors titlist and former world No. 1 Federer. The iconic Federer has won four of the last five championships in his hometown and was the 2009 runner-up to current No. 1 Novak Djokovic, this week's top seed.

Federer beat Djokovic in last year's marquee Basel finale.

The reigning U.S. Open, Wimbledon and Aussie Open champion Djokovic will play his second-round match here on Thursday against Pole Lukasz Kubot, a 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 come-from-behind winner against German and fellow qualifier Tobias Kamke on Wednesday.

The 2011 Basel champion will collect $450,000.

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