UPDATE: Andy Murray has pulled out of the Australian Open and is considering hip surgery. Murray is a five-time finalist at the year’s first Grand Slam, most recently in 2016.
Murray: “Sadly I won’t be playing in Melbourne this year, as I am not yet ready to compete. I’ll be flying home shortly to assess all the options.”
Good luck for the rest of ‘18, @andy_murray, you’ll be missed! https://t.co/yzRIypFXM7
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 4, 2018
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Andy Murray withdrew from the Brisbane International on Tuesday and is considering hip surgery, he revealed in a poignant Instagram post.
The 30-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 sounds uncertain about his future on the tennis court. The Australian Open begins Jan. 15.
Murray, who has not played since July, is currently ranked No. 16 in the world.
“I’ve obviously been going through a really difficult period with my hip for a long time and have sought counsel from a number of hip specialists,” he wrote. “Having been recommended to treat my hip conservatively since the US Open, I have done everything asked of me from a rehab perspective and worked extremely hard to try to get back on the court competing.
“Having played practice sets here in Brisbane with some top players, unfortunately this hasn’t worked yet to get me to the level I would like, so I have to reassess my options. Obviously continuing rehab is one option and giving my hip more time to recover. Surgery is also an option but the chances of a successful outcome are not as high as I would like, which has made this my secondary option, and my hope has been to avoid that. However, this is something I may have to consider, but let’s hope not.”
Murray posted a picture of himself as a young boy along with the Instagram message.
“I choose this pic, as the little kid inside me just wants to play tennis and compete,” he wrote. “I genuinely miss it so much and I would give anything to be back out there. I didn’t realise until these last few months just how much I love this game. Every time I wake up from sleeping or napping, I hope that it’s better, and it’s quite demoralising when you get on the court it’s not at the level you need it to be to compete at this level.”
Photo: Kamran Jebreili/AP
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