Fears Murray to miss Open
FEARS are growing over Andy Murray’s readiness for next month’s Australian Open – if he goes to Melbourne at all.
The former world No.1 was still in Britain yesterday, having returned last Tuesday from training in Miami.
His original plan was to be in Australia before Christmas but his departure now appears to have been delayed.
Murray, who has not played an official event since mid-July at Wimbledon, is one of three big names who are due to make comebacks.
Serena Williams and Stan Wawrinka also hope to return to action but their plans are unconfirmed with the start of the season only 10 days away.
Murray’s management insists he will be travelling to Australia and he hopes to compete in the Brisbane International, starting January 1.
The Scot, 30, could yet arrive in good time and that would seem a sensible move after a long lay-off. At this stage you would expect him to be cranking up preparations given the testing conditions he will face in Australia.
Although he has been having drill sessions with coach Jamie Delgado, Murray is not on the now-closed entry list for the doubles in Brisbane – an event that may have tempted a player returning from injury.
Murray is battling a nagging hip condition that first seemed to handicap him in June’s French Open, where he made the semi-finals.
Since his early exit from Queen’s and quarter-final defeat at Wimbledon, he has seen six specialists, and last month said he would continue trying rehab rather than any surgical option. Murray played Roger Federer in Glasgow to raise funds for his charitable foundation on November 7.
Although he hit the ball sweetly, he looked short of his usual standards and seemed to have a slight limp. It is possible he could delay his departure to Australia but he would want to play a tour event before tackling a Grand Slam.
Murray, whose wife Kim gave birth to their second daughter in early November, is not alone in having doubts swirl around him.
Yesterday, Wawrinka and Milos Raonic pulled out of next week’s exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
There have also been conflicting signals coming from Williams, who is entered at Melbourne after giving birth to her first child on September 1.
The American was seemingly booked to speak at a conference in Florida on January 23. Yesterday, however, a hotel group announced she would be at the Australian Open as its official ambassador.