Andy Murray may need surgery on his hip after being forced to withdraw from the season-opening Brisbane International event.
However, the 30-year-old wrote on social media that he has been forced to “reassess” his options after failing to get his fitness to the level needed for competitive tennis.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He wrote on Instagram: “I’ve obviously been going through a really difficult period with my hip for a long time and have sought counsel from a number of hip specialists.
“Having been recommended to treat my hip conservatively since the US Open I have done everything asked of me from a rehab perspective and worked extremely hard to try and get back on the court competing.
“Having played practice sets here in Brisbane with some top players unfortunately this hasn’t worked yet to get me to the level I would like so I have to reassess my options.”
Continuing rehab is an option, he says, and this would give his hip more time to recover. “Surgery is also an option,” he adds, “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.”
The Australian Open, the season’s opening grand slam, starts on 15 January, which means Murray is unlikely to play in the Melbourne event.
According to the Brisbane International tournament website, Murray will remain in the Queensland city to continue his fitness work. The Times reports that he will decide by the weekend if he is to leave Australia and return to the UK.