Murray undergoes second hip surgery

[January 30, 2019]  Former world No. 1 Andy Murray underwent another operation on his right hip in an effort to ease the pain that has plagued him over the past 20 months.

Murray said he had the surgery on Monday in a posting on his Instagram account.

"I underwent a hip resurfacing surgery in London yesterday morning," Murray wrote on Tuesday while showing a picture of him in his hospital bed along with an X-ray depicting what he called a "metal hip." "Feeling battered and bruised just now but hopefully that will be the end of my hip pain."

The intense pain has put the 31-year-old Murray's career in jeopardy. The three-time Grand Slam champion didn't indicate how long of a recovery period he will face.

The Brit held a tearful press conference earlier this month prior to the start of the Australian Open in which he said he was on the verge of retirement because of the hip pain. Murray indicated he wanted to play at Wimbledon in July before retiring.

Undergoing the surgery now could mean that Murray already has played his final competitive match.

Murray lost in the first round of the Australian Open, where he engaged in a four-hour, five-set match against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut. Murray visibly favored the hip throughout the marathon match.

Murray subsequently withdrew from upcoming ATP events in Marseille and Montpellier prior to the decision to undergo another hip surgery.

Murray's hip pain intensified while he was playing in the 2017 French Open, and he underwent the first surgery 12 months ago.

He said during the Australian Open press conference that a second surgery would be more for his quality of life as opposed to keeping his career alive.

"Some athletes have had that and gone back to competing," Murray said, "but there's obviously no guarantee and it is certainly not something -- the reason for having an operation like that is not to return to competitive sport, it's for a better quality of life."

Murray won the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon titles as well as the 2012 U.S. Open. He also won Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016.

He became the first British singles player to be world No. 1 on Nov. 7, 2016, and spent 41 weeks in the top spot. He was knighted in December 2016.

Overall, Murray has won 45 career singles titles, including nine in 2016, and made 11 Grand Slam finals appearances.

--Field Level Media

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.