One day after indicating he may withdraw from Great Britain's Davis Cup team in order to further his ATP Tour ambitions, Andy Murray's hopes of cementing his place in the world top ten came to a painful halt in Hamburg.

The British number one, who was celebrating his 20th birthday, was forced to retire from the Masters Series event with a wrist injury sustained at 5-1 up in the first set against Italy's Filippo Volandri.

He attempted to play the next point but was left wringing his right wrist in intense pain and called for the trainer at 15-30, complaining that ''something was moving''.

Strapping was applied but he was forced to quit the match two points later after collapsing in agony attempting a forehand and went straight to hospital for a scan.

The injury, which makes Murray a major doubt for the French Open, adds further woe to a clay-court season which began with a back injury and a first round exit at last week's Rome Masters.

Murray has now completed just one match on the ATP Tour since reaching the semi-finals of the Miami Masters Series in March and will face a race against time to be fit for the clay court Grand Slam, which starts on May 27.

Murray said: ''Today was a case of two extremes.

''In terms of my tennis it was the best I had hit a tennis ball since the start of my match with Nadal.

''But I was so disappointed with the injury. I have no idea where it came from, after going a year and a half without any injuries at all I've just had a bad run, so I'm hoping this will be the last one for the rest of year.

''It's tough to deal with as I'm not used to getting injured, and I know everyone will be saying 'he's injury prone, he's injury prone' but my reply is apart from the last couple of months, when have I been injured?

''How did I become injury prone when I had just played a full year on the tour without withdrawing from any matches?

''It's tough but it happens in sport sometimes but I am not injury prone at all. Go and ask Michael Owen if I'm injury prone!''

Earlier the Lawn Tennis Association said they would require further clarification before commenting on Murray's suggestion that he may elect to sit out future Davis Cup ties if they do not fit in with his gruelling Tour schedule.

Murray is next due to play for Great Britain against Croatia on the All England Club's number one court in September.

But the LTA will hope that Murray's comments were made on the spur of the moment.