Add Category
Posted
Andy Murray has pulled out of next month's Australian Open because of a pelvic injury, the three-time Grand Slam champion's management team has announced.
- Andy Murray had hip-resurfacing surgery in January after breaking down in tears at the Australian Open admitting he could be forced to retire
- The former world number one and three-time major title winner returned to the game in June and won a tournament in Belgium in October
- He has not played since injuring his pelvis in Great Britain's first match at the Davis Cup finals in Spain last month
The former world number one, who has been making an inspirational comeback after hip-resurfacing surgery, has decided not to travel to Melbourne after the injury he sustained at the end of the season has not improved as he hoped.
Murray, who has been training on court this week, will miss the January 20-February 2 Grand Slam event where he has been a five-time losing finalist and will also not play for Britain in the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia, starting on January 3.
His management team said in an email: "It was always going to be a tight turnaround, but the team took the decision not to rush back, so he'll continue hitting on court and building up fitness in January."
It was at last year's Australian Open that Murray was left in tears at a news conference where he told reporters he was in such pain from a chronic hip injury that it might be his last tournament.
Yet, amazingly, the 32-year-old had looked on course to play in his first Grand Slam singles event since Melbourne after his recovery from major hip surgery 11 months ago had seen him climb back to number 125 in the world.
After returning to competitive singles play, he even won the European Open in Antwerp, his first triumph for two years.
But the Scot has not played since Britain's opening tie at the Davis Cup finals in Madrid last month when the pelvic injury flared up and he did not travel to Miami for his usual training spell, deciding instead to stay at home to train.
Murray will now not play until February at the earliest, with his first tournament scheduled to be the Open Sud de France in Montpellier.
Reuters
Topics: sport, tennis, melbourne-3000, vic, australia, united-kingdom, scotland