Andy Murray latest big name to pull out of Australian Open 2018
Fomer World Number 1 Andy Murray joined Kei Nishikori as the big names pulling out ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam. Murray who is also a former finalist in Australia citied his hip injury which had curtailed his 2017 season after Wimbledon as the reason for his pull out. In a lengthy post on Instagram, the British Number 1 said, “Sadly I won’t be playing in Melbourne this year, as I am not yet ready to compete. I’ll be flying home shortly to assess all the options.”
The two time Olympic Gold medalist has been out of competitive tennis since Wimbledon last year. He did however turn up for an exhibition match against Roger Federer where the Scot looked far from his best. Murray, now ranked 16th in the world, attempted a return at the US Open in August but pulled out two days before the start of the tournament.
“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 three time Grand Slam champion added in his post.
