Following a match that had been described as possibly the last of his career, Andy Murray admits that even he is unsure about what the future has in store for him.
The former world No.1 crashed out in a five-set thriller to Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open on Monday. Just minutes after his loss, Murray intrigued many when he said ‘I’ll do everything possible to try. If I want to go again, I’ll need to have a big operation where there’s no guarantees.’ Was this a indication that the British player is considering a u-turn on his decision to retire?
Not entirely. Murray underwent surgery on his hip 12 months ago in Australia, but continued to experience pain since then. The Brit is now in talks with medical experts about having a second operation. One similar to what doubles specialist Mike Bryan underwent last August.
“I have basically like two options. One is to take the next four and a half months off, then build up and play Wimbledon.” Murray explained in his press conference. “Although tonight was not comfortable in terms of my hip. At the end, I mean, I’m really struggling. I can’t walk properly at all just now.”
“I could play another match, but if I want to try to play again, I want to improve my quality of life, because even if I take four months, I still can’t walk. I’m still in pain doing just basic day-to-day things.
“But having an operation like that, there’s absolutely no guarantees I’d be able to play again. I’m fully aware of that. It’s a really big operation. There’s no guarantees that you can come back from that. But there is the possibility, because guys have done it before.”
It is this unpredictability that is raising doubts about the remainder of Murray’s career. One that has seen him win 45 ATP titles and become the first player to defend an Olympic title. Should Melbourne be the city where he played his last match, the 31-year-old can take solace in his latest performance.
“This might be my last match. If I go ahead with the operation, I don’t recover well from it, then I don’t play again. I’m aware of that.” Said Murray.
“If today was my last match, it was a brilliant way to finish, as well. That’s something that I’ll probably take into consideration. It was an amazing atmosphere. I literally gave everything that I had on the court, fought as best as I could, and performed a lot better than what I should have done without the amount I’ve been able to practice and train.”
A decision on whether or not to go ahead with the operation will be made within ‘the next week or so.’ Asked about an estimated recovery time, Murray refused to put a limit on it.
