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Andy Murray drops, shatters gift plate before Shenzhen Open

By Alex Butler
Andy Murray of the United Kingdom puts on his hat after a changeover in his 2nd round match against Fernando Verdasco of Spain in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2018 US Open Tennis Championships on August 29 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Andy Murray of the United Kingdom puts on his hat after a changeover in his 2nd round match against Fernando Verdasco of Spain in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2018 US Open Tennis Championships on August 29 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Andy Murray only got to hold a commemorative gift plate for seconds, before dropping and shattering it ahead of the Shenzhen Open in China.

Murray battles China's Zhang Zhizhen in the round of 32 at the tournament at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the Shenzhen Longgang Tennis Center.

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He posted a video of himself accepting the accolade on Monday morning on Instagram, with the caption "Woops."

Murray held the gold plate briefly as he smiled for photos. He tiled the box and the plate eventually slid out of its container, before shattering on the ground.

"I'm so sorry," Murray said, as he held his hand over his face.

Another person nearby said they would get Murray another plate following the mishap. The No. 311 player in the world is down three spots in the ATP rankings. Murray, 31, won his last grand slam at the 2016 Wimbledon championships. He fell to Fernando Verdasco in the round of 64 at the 2018 U.S. Open.

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Murray said on Saturday in a Facebook post that next week's tournament in Beijing will be his last tournament of the year.

"I've decided along with my team that I need a long period of training and reconditioning to get myself in the best shape possible for the beginning of the 2019 season and getting myself back competing for the biggest tournaments again," Murray said.

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