Former World No. 1 Andy Murray will not be able to defeat his chief rivals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic if the Briton decided to have his hip replaced.
Triple Grand Slam champion Murray pulled out of the Australian Open on Thursday, releasing an emotional statement about the troubles he has been facing ever since his hip issue surfaced before Roland Garros in 2017.
And Andrew Castle, the former British professional player, is worried Murray’s hip problem could need a full hip replacement.
Castle believes the 30-year-old Dunblane native will never be the same again after having his hip completely replaced. In fact, Castle thinks it will be extremely tough for Murray to even compete against Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, let alone winning.
“Andy is a world class athlete,” Castle told 5Live.
“(But) the chances of coming back and then seeing someone like Dimitrov or Nishikori, or Djokovic, Nadal or Federer down the other end and to think you’re in with a chance of beating them on a regular basis, even top status again, with a new hip?
“It would be one of his career achievements to do that.”
While Rafael Nadal made a stunning comeback after having an injury afflicted 2016 to claim his 10th French Open and a third US Open crown in 2017, Federer’s return was even more stunning considering the fact nobody expected him to win the Australian Open in 2017. But, the Swiss did win the Open and remarkably he defeated four top-10 players en route his fifth title in Melbourne.
Federer is yet again the favorite to claim his sixth Australian Open and a record extending 20th Slam in Victoria. On the other hand, Nadal’s preparations for the event in Melbourne have been undermined due to a right knee injury. As for the Serbian Djokovic, he is in the same boat as Murray, having spent more than six months out of action due to an elbow injury. However, he is expected to be fit to compete at the year’s opening Slam Down Under.
