Wimbledon will give Andy Murray until the last minute to prove his fitness for a wildcard for this year’s event.
Murray, who won the tournament in 2013 and 2016, is working his way back from hip surgery in January in the hope of a return to competitive tennis.
The 31-year-old could also look to use his protected ranking to compete in the main draw but Wimbledon today said they would work with Murray’s team to give him the best chance of a return, with a potential wildcard.
Wimbledon chief Richard Lewis said: “We have held wildcards back before. If Andy came forward with a strong case, I’m sure we’d work with him.”
The winner of this year’s men’s and women’s singles will each pocket £2.35million after organisers announced an 11.8 per cent pay increase for the 2019 Championships.
Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber both earned £2.25m for their title wins in 2018 but Wimbledon have raised the prize-money pot from £34m 12 months ago to £38m for this year’s event.
