Former world No.1 Andy Murray has suffered a setback ahead of the Australian Open after withdrawing from his first tournament of the season in Brisbane.
The 30-year-old was set to play on the tour for the first time since the Wimbledon championships after being sidelined from action due to a hip injury. He has pulled out of Brisbane due to a ‘right hip complaint.’ The announcement has come just two days after the Brit told reporters that he was on course to play at the event, which he has won on two previous occasions.
“Unless something happens the next couple of days that goes wrong, I don’t see myself not playing because of my hip right now,” Murray recently said.
“I need to play matches to see exactly where it’s at. Right now the hip is the only part of the body that is any concern.”
Confirming Murray’s absence, tournament director Cameron Pearson praised Murray for his efforts in trying to play at the tournament.
“It’s disappointing that Andy can’t continue. It’s disappointing for him because I know how much he wanted to play here as well,” Pearson told the ABC Australia.
“He’s done his best to be ready for the tournament but hasn’t quite come up. He’s doing everything he can to play again.”
Doubts concerning Murray’s ability to participate this week were raised on Tuesday. He was spotted at the Queensland Tennis Centre, but failed to turn up for his scheduled 4pm training slot. A day after he had a hitting session with Milos Raonic. Raising concerns that he still might not be fit enough to play.
It is understood that Murray will remain in Brisbane and continue training.
The world No.16 is the third member of the ‘Big Four’ to withdraw from their opening tournament of 2018. Rafael Nadal pulled out of Brisbane due to his knee and Novak Djokovic skipped Doha due to pain in his elbow. Roger Federer, who is playing in the Hopman Cup, is the only member to avoid injury problems at the start of the year.
Update
Shortly after news of his withdrawal was confirmed, Murray addressed his current situation in a heartfelt social media post. In it, he admitted that hip surgery is an option for him. Until now the Brit has been reluctant to undergo the procedure due to the uncertainty of how successful it will be.
“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.” Said Murray.
“Obviously continuing rehab is one option and giving my hip more time to recover.
“Surgery is also an option but the chances of a successful outcome are not as I high as I would like which has made this my secondary option and my hope has been to avoid that. However, this is something I may have to consider but let’s hope not.”
In the wake of the announcement, doubts have been raised about if he will play at the Australian Open. He will make a decision about playing in Melbourne by ‘next weekend.’ Although it appears that he is more likely to return back to Britain than play in the grand slam.
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