Hip injury leaves Murray’s career hanging in balance
● Scot could be out of action for 12 months
A leading hip specialist believes surgery could help Andy Murray return to his best form – provided there is not too much damage in the joint.
The former world No 1 withdrew from the Australian Open yesterday and is considering going under the knife to try to resolve the problem, which has kept him sidelined since Wimbledon.
Murray has kept the exact details of the injury private but is known to have consulted a number of specialists in a bid to find the best way forward.
With a conservative approach not having allowed him to return to the court, an operation now appears a likely course of action.
Murray had hoped to avoid surgery and admitted in an emotional social media post earlier this week that he has been told the chances of a successful outcome are not as high as he would like.
Professor Max Fehily, the lead surgeon at The Manchester Hip Clinic, has extensive experience operating on athletes with similar problems.
He said: “As I understand, he’s got a condition called femoroacetabular impingement, which is very common in athletes.
“We see a lot of it in football, rugby, squash, tennis, and essentially it’s where the ball of the hip impacts against the cup. One of the problems with athletes is, as it impacts repeatedly, eventually it can damage or tear the labrum, but it can also eventually start to cause arthritis.
“Everybody’s on a spectrum, with one end being just a cartilage tear and the other end being significant joint surface damage.”
Professor Fehily sees surgery as being a good option for Murray and one that could well allow him to return to the top of the sport, albeit after a significant period on the sidelines.
“He’ll have had the best physio and body strengthening you can have, so then the next step is surgery,” he said. “And in a way I’m surprised he’s left it this long because it’s very difficult to perform at his level with that kind of an injury.
“Recovery from keyhole surgery, you’re looking at realistically six to 12 months before you’re back at top level. He’ll have done a lot of work presurgery to make him stronger and that will speed up his recovery.
“Based on what’s in the public domain, there’s no reason why he can’ t return to his previous level, but it will all
depend on how much damage is already there.”
Murray’s withdrawal from the year’s first grand slam appeared inevitable after he pulled out of his scheduled warm-up tournament in Brisbane earlier this week.
In a statement, the Scot said: “Sadly I won’t be playing in Melbourne this year, as I am not yet ready to compete.
“I’ll be flying home shortly to assess all the options but I appreciate all the messages of support and I hope to be back playing soon.”
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley offered his support, saying: “We are fully aware that Andy has been going through a difficult period with his hip and that he’s done everything possible to prepare for the Australian summer.
“Personally, I also know that Andy loves tennis and would do anything to play. This is a very hard decision for Andy and we totally respect it.
“We wish him the absolute best on his road to recovery and look forward to having him back in Melbourne. He is a true champion and one of our favourites.”
Confirmation of his absence came hours after Kei Nishikori announced that he, also, wouldn’t have enough time to fully recover from a torn wrist tendon before the championship starts on 15 January.
Murray was preparing to leave Australia at the same time as injured former champions Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were on the way to Melbourne.
Former No 1-ranked Murray, a three-time major winner, has not played a competitive match since a quarter-final exit at SW19 last July.
In a heartfelt social media post earlier in the week, the 30-year-old Murray contem-
plated surgery as an option after failing to overcome the pain with a spell of rest and rehabilitation.
In the lengthy Instagram post, Murray said he’d worked hard on the conservative option of rest and rehabilitation but was now having to consider alternatives.
“Obviously continuing rehab is one option ... 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.”
Djokovic, who has beaten Murray in finals four times as he collected his six Australian titles, posted a statement on his website saying he wasn’t sure he’d be able to play at Melbourne Park. A right elbow injury has kept him off the tour since July. He plans to play in two exhibition tournaments in Melbourne next week before deciding.
Top-ranked Nadal, who lost last year’s Australian final to Roger Federer and went on to win the French and US Open titles, has been struggling with a right knee problem and withdrew from the Brisbane International this week, delaying his return until an exhibition tournament next Wednesday.
There’s also doubt over Serena Williams’ title defence. Williams, pictured, who was pregnant when she won the Australian title – her record 23rd singles major in the Open era – and gave birth to her daughter in September, played an exhibition in Abu Dhabi last weekend and said she wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to play in Melbourne.
Williams said after her loss to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko: “I don’t know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet. I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships.”
Tiley said he was in daily touch with Williams’ management. “I still believe she will be,” in Australia, Tiley said.