Former world no 1 Andy Murray is fighting a fitness battle to feature in the Australian Open later this month after he pulled out of the Brisbane International, the tournament’s official site announced on Tuesday.
The Scot was last seen in action in competitive tennis during his loss to Sam Querrey in Wimbledon, after which he had shut down the season to recuperate from a niggling hip injury.
He participated in an exhibition one-set tournament in Abu Dhabi last week but did not enjoy the best of comebacks as he lost to Roberto Batista-Agut. The two-time Olympic gold medallist looked rusty and laboured around the court during the game.
In a long post on Instagram, Murray said that he will continue to stay in Australia for the next couple of days to assess his hip before deciding whether to pull out of the season’s first Grand Slam later this month.
“I’ve obviously been going through a really difficult period with my hip for a long time and have sought council from a number of hip specialists,” Murray wrote. “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 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. 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,” he added.
The news of Murray’s withdrawal comes just three days after another former world No 1, Novak Djokovic, also pulled out of the Qatar Open, ahead of the Australian Open. The Serb has not fully recovered from an elbow injury that has kept him out since last year’s Wimbledon Championships, just like Murray.
World No 1 Rafael Nadal had also withdrawn from the Brisbane International last week with a knee injury, but had said he still intends to play in the Australian Open.
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