1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash has warned former World No. 1 Andy Murray against putting his long-term health at risk by continuing to play on the ATP tour despite his many battles with injuries.
Murray is targeting a return to action at the Brisbane International in Queensland, which gets underway on January 1, after resting and treating his problematic hip since his defeat at the hands of Sam Querrey of America in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
While Swiss superstar Roger Federer redefined the age barrier in tennis, by winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2017, Murray suffered one of the biggest setbacks of his career after turning 30 in May this year. And Cash knows an injury could prove to be career threatening, having retired from the sport as a 32-year-old after waging a prolonged war with a series of injuries.
And he just cannot believe that Andy – a winner of three Grand Slams, two Olympic gold medals in singles, the Davis Cup and a former top ranked player in the world – is ready to experience more pain.
“I, too, was injured a lot,” said Cash. “I felt I still had something to give but I just could not get going. Everybody is different. Some guys fade away because they are sick of it, some guys get injured. I never really had any regrets because I knew I had given it everything. There is no reason you can’t still play well, but you have got to have that motivation.
“But then you have your long-term health to think of. My hip is gone, my back is gone. I can play a bit of doubles but there are very few tennis players who get away with not having to limp around for the latter part of their life.
“The common talk these days among players of my generation is who had their knee or hip replaced. And that’s for us in our forties and fifties.
“It’s a mystery to me why Murray does not just hang his racket up and enjoy life. Obviously he must love it.”
