Murray shrugs off Zika fears ahead of Rio Olympics

Johannesburg, Aug.3 (ANI): World number two Andy Murray has played down the potential threat of Zika virus as well as the absence of two of his leading rivals namely Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka as he is looking forward to defend his Olympic medal at Rio de Janeiro. The Briton, who clinched his second Wimbledon title last month, said that he had a discussion with his doctor, who had assured him that nothing would happen. Murray believes that the situation is not that bad as it has been stated while adding that he hopes he doesn't get too many mosquito bites in Brazil, Sport24 reported. Murray and world number one Novak Djokovic are considered to be the favourites to win gold in Rio, with their paths to a potential final showdown being cleared after the withdrawal of Wawrinka and Federer due to their respective injuries. Reflecting on the same, the 29-year-old said that it was quite unfortunate to lose two great players of capability and experience of Federer and Wawrinka. Murray, however, felt that it is still a pretty strong field because of the presence of top-20 players in the Summer Games. Earlier, tennis players such as John Isner of the United States, Austria's Dominic Thiem, Australian duo of Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios as well as Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez have withdrawn from the global spectacle citing various reasons, with Zika virus being one of them. Brazil has been most affected by the mosquito-borne virus that has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean. It is known to cause the head-shrinking microcephaly and other birth defects. (ANI)