By Richard Pagliaro | January 2, 2018

Right hip pain has forced Andy Murray out of Brisbane, jeopardizing his status for the Australian Open—and causing him to consider corrective surgery.

The former world No. 1 withdrew from the Brisbane International today prior to his scheduled match with American Ryan Harrison.

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“I’m very disappointed to be withdrawing from the Brisbane International,” Murray said. “I came here with every intention of making a strong start to the year, but sadly my team and I don’t feel that I’m where I need to be just yet to compete at the highest level.

“I have great memories of playing here in Brisbane and I have always enjoyed competing in front of the Queensland fans, so look forward to returning in the near future.”

The 16th-ranked Scot has not played a Tour-level match since bowing to Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon quarterfinals last July.

Murray’s status for the Australian Open, which starts on January 15th, is in doubt as he concedes surgery to correct his hip issue is an option though he has not made a final decision yet. 

The five-time Australian Open finalist pulled out of the US Open in August because of the hip injury.

"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 in an Instagram post. “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."

The 30-year-old Murray said he will remain in Australia for the coming days while finalizing a decision for the Australian Open.

 

Hey everyone.. Just wanted to write a little message on here for anyone interested in what in going through right now. Firstly I want to apologise to @brisbanetennis for withdrawing at late notice and to everyone who wanted to come along to watch me play(or lose😇) The organisers couldn't have been more understanding and supportive and I'll always remember that. Thank you. 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. 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. I choose this pic as the little kid inside me just wants to play tennis and Compete.. I genuinely miss it so much and i would give anything to be back out there. I didn't realise until these last few months just how much I love this game. Everytime I wake up from sleeping or napping i hope that it's better and it's quite demoralising when you get on the court it's not at the level you need it to be to compete at this level. In the short term I'm going to be staying in Australia for the next couple of days to see if my hip settles down a bit and will decide by the weekend whether to stay out here or fly home to assess what I do next. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to keep everyone in the loop and get this off my chest as it's really hurting inside. Hope to see you back on the court soon 🎾😢❤️

A post shared by Andy Murray (@andymurray) on

Jan 2, 2018 at 1:23am PST

"I choose this pic as the little kid inside me just wants to play tennis and compete," Murray said. "I genuinely miss it so much and i would give anything to be back out there. I didn't realize until these last few months just how much I love this game. Every time I wake up from sleeping or napping i hope that it's better and it's quite demoralizing when you get on the court it's not at the level you need it to be to compete at this level.



"In the short term I'm going to be staying in Australia for the next couple of days to see if my hip settles down a bit and will decide by the weekend whether to stay out here or fly home to assess what I do next," Murray said.