2-time Olympic champ Murray withdraws from men's singles tennis draw

On the recommendation of his medical advisors, Andy Murray will not defend his Olympic championship in singles tennis.

The gold medalist at Rio 2016 and London 2012 withdrew shortly before his opening-round match versus Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime due to an ailing quadriceps, choosing to focus his efforts on the men's doubles tournament instead.

"The medical staff have advised me against playing in both events," Murray said, according to The Guardian's Tumaini Carayol. "So I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the singles and focus on playing doubles with Joe (Salisbury).”

The 34-year-old Murray is presently ranked 104th in singles on the ATP tour. He and Salisbury scored a 6-3, 6-2 doubles win over France's Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Saturday.

Australia's Max Purcell will assume Murray's spot in the tournament. The match versus Auger-Aliassime, the world's 15th-ranked pro, is slated to begin after 12:01 a.m. ET on Sunday.