The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Murray sidelined for the rest of year
Scot to now focus on slow recovery from hip injury
Andy Murray has opted against surgery to repair his injured hip but is still unlikely to play again this year.
The world No 2 has ruled himself out of the forthcoming ATP Tour events in Beijing and Shanghai and also expects to sit out the final two tournaments in Vienna and Paris.
Surgery was viewed as a potential solution, but it is hoped an “extended period of rest and rehabilitation” will improve a chronic condition that has flared up at times during his career and has forced him to miss this month’s US Open.
Murray has not played since his quarterfinal exit to Sam Querrey in Wimbledon in July, leaving him with a probable sixmonth break from the sport that he hopes will restore his fitness.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to compete in the upcoming events in Beijing and Shanghai, and most likely, the final two events to finish the season in Vienna and Paris due to my hip injury which has been bothering me the last few months,” Murray wrote on Facebook.
“Having consulted with a number of leading hip specialists over the last week, along with my own team, we have decided that this is the best decision for my longterm future.
“Although this has been a frustrating year on court for many reasons, I’m confident after this extended period of rest and rehabilitation that I will be able to reach my best level again and be competing for Grand Slam titles next season.
“I will be beginning my 2018 season in Brisbane in preparation for the Australian Open and I’m looking forward to playing in Glasgow later this year against Roger (Federer) for Unicef UK and Sunny-sid3up.
“I have a fantastic team working alongside me to help me through this process and appreciate the support from them and all of my fans over this difficult period.”
In the wake of his defeat by Querrey at the All England club, Murray sought to regain his fitness in time for the US Open.
He tested out his problematic hip during a week of training at Flushing Meadows but was ultimately forced to concede defeat, his withdrawal from the competition after the draw had already been made resulting in criticism of the 30-year-old.
Despite having not played since Wimbledon the injury has failed to settle, but surgery has been rejected in favour of a more conservative treatment approach.
The Scot underwent an operation to correct a back problem in 2013 and, even though the procedure was a success, it took him time to recover top form.
There is no mention in Murray’s Facebook update of the ATP Finals in London in November, but Murray’s ninth-place position in the Race to London standings and withdrawal from at least two further events effectively prevents him from defending his title at the O2.
Murray was replaced as world No 1 by Rafael Nadal last month, losing the position he has held since usurping Novak Djokovic in November.
Former British No 1 Greg Rusedski believes Murray is right to be cautious about undergoing hip surgery.
He said: “I had a little tear in my labrum near the end of my career and the doctor told me, ‘Take six weeks off and hopefully it’ll get better and everything will get stable’.
“For me, unfortunately, it didn’t get as stable as I would have liked because my back would pop out but now everything’s fine – so the more time you take out, the better you recover.
“They said to me if you have surgery there’s a 50% chance it’ll get better, 45% chance it could stay the same and 5% chance it could get worse, so I think he’s doing the right thing taking the rest of the season off.”
Eurosport analyst Rusedski added: “Let’s hope it’s not too serious and he doesn’t need surgery. If Murray is healthy, he will get back to the top of men’s tennis.”