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Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray has admitted the Australian Open may be his last tournament, as his chronic hip injury continues to cause him pain.
- Andy Murray hoped to retire at Wimbledon, but admitted the Australian Open could be his last tournament
- Murray underwent surgery in January 2018 for a hip injury, playing just 12 games in 2018
- Murray became the first tennis player to win consecutive Olympic gold medals (2012 and 2016)
In a tearful press conference, the five-time Australian Open finalist said he hoped to retire at Wimbledon this year, but the pain may be too much for him to deal with.
When Murray was asked about how his hip was feeling ahead of the Australian Open, the 31-year-old Scotsman simply said, "Not great", before leaving the room.
When he returned, Murray said he still wanted to play at the Australian Open, but his hip was still troubling him and his hopes of retiring in front of his home fans at Wimbledon in June were in doubt due to a level of pain that sees him struggling to even put his shoes and socks on.
"[I'm] not feeling good. [I've] been struggling for a long time … I'm not sure I can play through the pain for another four or five months," he said.
"I can play with limitations. But having the limitations and the pain is not allowing me to enjoy competing or training.
"Wimbledon is where I would like to stop playing, but I am not certain I am able to do that."
The former world number one has been beset by injury since 2017, sitting out for six months before undergoing surgery in January 2018 and playing just a handful of matches as his ranking plummeted to 230 in the world.
He played a warm-up match that was open to the public on Thursday against long-time rival Novak Djokovic, but was severely hampered and lost 6-1, 4-1 when they finished the session.
"[I've] pretty much done everything that I could to try and get my hip feeling better and it hasn't helped loads … I think there is a chance the Australian Open is my last tournament," he said.
Murray is set to play 22-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round at Melbourne Park.
Topics: sport, tennis, australia, vic, melbourne-3000
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