LONDON, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) on Monday reiterated its support over Andy Murray, saying that the British star was within his rights to withdraw from this week's Marseille Open.

Tournament director Jean-Francois Caujolle was quoted in a British national newspaper calling for Murray to be suspended after missing the tournament for the second straight year.

Murray, the top seed at the tournament, had decided to continue his recovery from the Australian Open, where his bid to win a maiden grand slam title ended with a defeat by Roger Federer in the Melbourne final.

"The ATP has a clear structure in place with regard to player commitment and strict measures to discourage withdrawals," an ATP statement said on Monday.

"We understand a situation like this can be frustrating for a tournament but, in this case, Andy followed the procedures for withdrawal and did not break any rules."