Surgery has Murray aiming for Wimbledon

TENNIS: Three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray has had hip surgery but remains optimistic the procedure will extend his career.

Murray has not played a competitive match for six months and last week withdrew from the Australian Open after the injury had forced him out of the Brisbane International.

On Monday he had surgery in Melbourne and later took to social media to declare the procedure a success, revealing he was aiming for a return to action at this year’s Wimbledon.

“I’m not finished playing tennis yet. I’m going to be competing at the highest level again,” he said.

“I’m very optimistic about the future, the surgeon is very happy about how it went.”

Murray, who ended 2016 as world No.1, has slipped to 19th in the rankings.

He hopes to be hitting balls by the start of March with a possible return to competition after May’s French Open.

“My plan is to be back playing around the grasscourt season, potentially before then, but I’m certainly not going to rush anything,” he said.

“I want to know when I come back that I’m ready.

“My hip will feel better than a year ago, when I was world No.1.”

Murray had been dogged by soreness in his right hip since last year’s French Open.

He withdrew from the US Open two days before the tournament in August last year, and said he realised he was not ready to compete in Brisbane last week when he tested his hip against other top-50 players.

“I want to come back when I’m fit and ready to play, not to get into a situation like in Brisbane or New York, where I’m unsure when I turn up at a tournament how fit I am,” he said.