The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Grass-court return target for Murray after surgery on hip.
SURGERY: Former world No 1 vows to recover from hip operation for sake of his children – and targets summer comeback
Andy Murray has revealed the desire for his eldest daughter Sophia to see him play tennis is motivating him to make a return to the game.
Murray underwent surgery to resolve a trouble some hip injury yesterday and is hoping to return to competitive tennis for the 2018 grass-court season.
The 30-year-old has not played competitively since Wimbledon last summer and last week he withdrew from this month’s Australian Open.
There were doubts over his future but the early prognosis after surgery is good and Murray is determined to give his daughter, who turns two next month, the chance to see him play.
“One of the things that I would like to do is play until my eldest daughter is able to watch me and have a small understanding of what it is I’ve done for my living,” Murray said.
“That’s something I really wanted to do. That’s one of the things that motivated me to keep playing.
“That would be cool if she can come along and watch me hit some balls or practise, just to see what it is I do.
“I like watching and seeing a lot of the other kids when they are on the tour with their parents .
“They get to do a bit of travelling with them when they are at an age when they actually understand a little bit more about what it is that they’re doing.”
Murray is now aiming to be back in time for this year’s grass-court season, which starts at Queen’s on June 18 before Wimbledon begins a fortnight later.
He last week posted an emotional message on Instagram, detailing his disappointment at being forced to withdraw from the Brisbane International.
The now world No 19 said the two optionsavailabletofixhistroublesomehip were to continue with rehab or have surgery, for which he admitted the chances of success were not as high as he would have liked.
But, after undergoing the operation in Australia, Murray’s outlook was more optimistic.
“I’m very optimistic because, having spoken to the surgeon after he did the surgery, he was very happy about how it went,” Murray said.
“He felt that my hip will be feeling better than it did a year ago and, obviously, I was still doing fine a year ago, I was ranked number one in the world. Moving forward I’ll certainly be playing a reduced schedule, and then focusing more on trying to win major events and big tournaments rather than trying to achieve certain ranking goals.”
Murray also said he underwent some minor surgery on his groin on December 18. He concedes he may only ever be able to reach 95% fitness but believes that would still be enough to challenge for grand slam titles.
“I’ve been fairly competitive with top-50 players in the world practising in Brisbane when I was struggling to move, and I made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon when I literally couldn’t walk and was in so much pain,” Murray said.
“So if I can get myself to 95% of my best, I believe that’s enough to compete at the highest level. No question.”
Murray later shared a picture of himself in his hospital bed on Instagram, where his coach Jamie Delgado was visiting him.
He thanked people for their support and again reiterated his positivity.
He wrote: “A little post op photo. I’m feeling really positive and looking forward to starting rehab. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and support the last few days.. It really helps.”
Sky Sports analyst Barry Cowan believed that undergoing surgery was a positive move for Murray.
He said: “He has given himself a goal which is the grass-court period – I think that will be tough. But for now I think his goal will be to try and get himself fit and let’s hope we can see him back playing some great tennis in the not too distant future.”