SPECIAL JUAN
Murray is inspired by miracle man Del Potro on the road to recovery
When I got the injury I was world No.1 ANDY MURRAY
ANDY MURRAY admits he still doubts whether he’ll ever get back to the very top despite pulling off his best post-surgery performance in defeat to Fernando Verdasco.
The former world No.1 lost his US Open second-round tie as his return to Grand Slam action after a 14-month absence was short-lived.
Murray went down to only his second defeat in 15 meetings with Verdasco and it was his earliest exit from a major tournament in nine years.
But the 31-year-old had low expectations having not played a Grand Slam after hip surgery in January.
Murray was satisfied with large parts of his display in the Arthur Ashe Stadium and how he coped physically.
But he admitted his lengthy lay-off resulted in some poor decision-making on the court.
He takes hope from the way Juan Martin del Potro and others have returned to their best after injuries.
Murray said: “There’s doubts about getting back to the top because you just don’t know exactly what’s round the corner.
“When I got the injury I was ranked No.1 in the world and 12 months later things completely changed.
“If things keep going smoothly, physically, and I continue to improve then I’ll get back to competing at the biggest competitions. There’s no reason why I couldn’t.
“But when you continue to build up and start playing more tournaments, you don’t know how you’re going to respond.
“If that’s the case, that makes things a little bit more tricky because of the path I’ve been on the last year.
“Trying to come back, it not quite working, then ending up having the surgery and stuff. It’s completely normal to have those doubts.
“I prefer to look at my own situation and try to make the best of that. Del Potro has had a number of issues with his wrist and found ways around that and come back. But it took him a long time.
“Some of the tennis I played on Wednesday was the best I’ve played since I had the surgery or since I came back. But there were also periods, especially in the first set, where I really didn’t play particularly well.
“I made a lot of mistakes when I was up in that set. I feel like I should have won the first set and didn’t.
“It’s difficult to always make the right decisions when you’re on the court, playing more offensively.”
Meanwhile, Murray is weighing up whether to squeeze one last Davis Cup trip to Glasgow into his long-term recovery plans.
The Scot is not scheduled to return to ATP Tour action until September 24 at the Shenzhen Open – which will be followed by the China Open in Beijing – and he has already revealed he will play sparingly to avoid stressing his troublesome hip.
And the Davis Cup offers a real dilemma.
Murray has not played in the event for two years but next month’s play-off against Uzbekistan at the Emirates Arena from September 14-16 could be his final chance to play in front of his home fans.
The changes coming into effect next season mean the number of ties Britain will host is set to be reduced, with potentially several years between home matches.
Murray said: “I’d have to chat to my team because this is a very important period in my long-term strategy.
“Playing five sets takes a lot out of you, as I’ve found out, and the Davis Cup has also taken a lot out of me.
“But there’s a big part of me that would love to play one last time in Glasgow.”