Wincing and winding his arm uncomfortably, Andy Murray walked off the court after an early afternoon practice session only to be informed he had just won US $250,000 (Dh918,000).
The Scotsman was to face world No 1 Novak Djokovic in the evening final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships at Zayed Sports City, but when the Serbian withdrew shortly before 4pm citing a high fever, Murray was crowned the UAE capital's two-time champion.
It was not the way the 2013 Wimbledon winner would have liked to claim his first title of 2015, although, given he had experienced pain in his left shoulder during the second set of his semi-final win over Rafael Nadal, the decision was probably – privately – welcomed warmly.
Murray woke up pain-free, but he had a precautionary scan at Zayed Sports City’s Healthpoint clinic.
The results came back clear, but he felt soreness as he practised his serve on a side court. He could be seen gesturing uncomfortably to his staff.
When asked whether Djokovic’s withdrawal had saved Murray from having to pull-out, the Olympic gold medallist said it had been touch-and-go, but that he always wanted to play.
“Obviously, I didn’t have to make that decision, but I would have liked to have played another high-quality match,” he said.
“To get the scan and get positive information from that, that made my mind more clear.
“If I hadn’t had that information then it becomes a tricky decision, but by having that information and knowing I am not going to do any more damage by playing, that there is nothing structurally wrong, no tears or bad things, that would have helped me make a decision.”
Djokovic’s withdrawal was announced in a written statement delivered three hours before the final was scheduled to start.
“Unfortunately I am not able to play in the final in Abu Dhabi. I’ve been sick today with a fever and I’m not fit to play. I said after my match, the crowds here have shown their love of tennis again this year and always inspire me to play my best, so I am hugely disappointed not to be able to play for them.”
The annual Mubadala exhibition tournament had to overcome the late withdrawals of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils last month, but Greg Sproule, managing director of IMG Middle East, played down any disappointment.
“I still think it’s been one of the most successful tournaments,” he said.
“[Withdrawals] come with professional sports. Guys and ladies get injured and you make the best decision with the best information that you can.
“It’s terrible when someone is unable to play, but you move on. I think when you look at ticket sales and the fun people have been having, it’s been a success.”
With several thousand fans having turned out to see Djokovic and Murray, the organising committee put on a low-in-intensity, high-in-high-jinks match between Nicolas Almagro and Feliciano Lopez instead.
They also confirmed ticket holders for Saturday’s event will be offered a 50 per cent discount for next year’s tournament.
Murray’s lack of involvement in the last-minute match raised further questions regarding his fitness and Sproule said the Briton’s shoulder pain had played a part in the decision.
“Andy has talked about having a delicate shoulder injury and it would be irresponsible of us to ask him to play,” Sproule said.
“The first grand slam of the year is just two weeks away and out of respect for Andy we asked him not to play.”
Murray was to fly to Perth in the early hours of this morning and is scheduled to play his first match of the Hopman Cup tomorrow evening.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE