I could miss Aussie Open, admits Murray

ANDY Murray has admitted he is considering surgery to treat his long-term hip problem and could be forced to miss the Australian Open later this month.

The former World No.1, who has been sidelined since Wimbledon of last year, was on course to make his competitive return at this week’s Brisbane International, but pulled out yesterday.

Murray said earlier this week that his long-standing hip injury, which has put his career on hold for the last six months, has forced him to readjust his expectations for the coming season.

And despite his hopes of competing in the first Grand Slam of the year, it’s now unclear whether the two-time Wimbledon champion will be fit enough for Melbourne.

In a Facebook post, the 30-year-old revealed his frustrations with his hip injury and outlined his plans for the coming days.

He wrote: “In the short term I’m going to be staying in Aus- tralia for the next couple of days to see if my hip settles down a bit and will decide by the weekend whether to stay out here or fly home to assess what I do next.”

If it is the latter, the British No.1 could opt for surgery, which he had tried to avoid.

He said: “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 had intended to compete in Brisbane ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on January 15, and was set to face American Ryan Harrison in the last 16 tomorrow having been handed a bye through the first round.

It would have been his first competitive appearance since he limped through his Wimbledon campaign after aggravating his hip during the French Open.

His only public on-court appearances since then have been exhibitions against Roger Federer in November and Roberto Bautista Agut in Abu Dhabi on Friday, when he looked far from 100 per cent as he lost 6-2.

Murray added: “The little kid inside me just wants to play tennis and compete. 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 that it’s not at the level you need it to be to compete at this level.”

Tough time: Andy Murray is still struggling with his hip injury