CARL FRAMPTON would quit boxing if he could not face the best. Frampton (left) would be tempted by a rematch with Josh Warrington – who beat him last week – or featherweight champ Leo Santa Cruz, but added: “I wouldn’t go back to lesser fights.”
ANDY MURRAY’S surgeon has revealed the former world No.1 has an “ongoing problem” with his hip.
Dr John O’Donnell said: “It is just his intense desire to do well that has kept him going as well as he has.”
The double Olympic champion will make his latest comeback at the Brisbane International tomorrow after undergoing hip surgery in Melbourne last January.
Murray returned for two tournaments in the grass-court season before pulling out of Wimbledon then ended his season after only six events in September to undergo more rehabilitation.
But on arriving Down Under to begin his build-up to next month’s Australian Open, the now world No.256 admitted he still has “some pain” in his hip.
And Dr O’Donnell said: “That wouldn’t be surprising because he has had problems with his hip for some time and it had reached the point where he couldn’t play.
“It wasn’t really at the stage where we could attempt to make his hip normal – it was just to make it as better as possible.
“He has certainly improved, but he still has ongoing problems with it. It is not as bad as it was, but it is not normal.”
Murray and his coach Jamie Delgado took a helicopter ride to North Stradbroke Island (left) and ate kangaroo for the first time before beginning his 2019 season in Queensland.
“As you get a little bit older, you want to immerse yourself in the culture of the different countries that we go to visit,” said Murray.
The Scot, who has won the Brisbane title in his two previous appearances, faces Aussie wildcard James Duckworth in the first round with the winner drawn to play No.4 seed Daniil Medvedev.
Asked about expectations for Murray’s comeback, Dr O’Donnell added: “It is pretty hard to predict because he is not like a normal person.
“He just does things that are beyond what I could normally understand. It is hard to know quite how far he can push it because if it comes down to will, he will certainly do extremely well. But he has had a lot of challenges to deal with.” British No.4 Harriet Dart qualifed for the main draw in Brisbane by beating former world No.9 Andrea Petkovic 7-5 6-2.
In the Hopman Cup in Perth, Great Britain lost 3-0 to Roger Federer’s Switzerland.
The world No.3 beat Cameron Norrie 6-1 6-1 before Belinda Bencic saw off Katie Boulter 6-2 7-6.
The Swiss pair then completed the whitewash with a 4-3 4-1 win in the mixed doubles.