Andy Murray has pulled out of the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships as he has not recovered from a hip injury sufficiently in time to risk playing.
Former world number one and three-time grand slam champion Murray has not played since his quarter-final defeat to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon last year, and underwent hip surgery in January.
He has returned to the practice courts but conceded on Tuesday that, though he is hopeful of being fit to make his return on grass, his recovery has been slower than he anticipated.
And the 31-year-old has delayed that expected return, withdrawing from next week's event in 's-Hertogenbosch.
Murray said: "It is with regret that I won't be ready to play in Hertogenbosch. I was excited to play there for the first time, but I am not quite ready to return.
"I am still aiming to play in the coming weeks, but I want to be 100 per cent when I do return."
Tournament director Marcel Hunze added: "We were looking forward to Andy's participation. Unfortunately he will not be present this year, but we understand his decision.
"We have built a good relationship with Andy and his team and we hope this helps to have him play in Rosmalen in the future."
After pulling out of Hertogenbosch, the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen's Club would be the next tournament in which Murray could make his return. The Briton has won a record five titles at the prestigious London tournament.
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