Andy Murray’s historic season is all but over after the revelation that he will undergo what is described as ‘minor’ surgery to try to resolve a lingering problem in his lower back.
The world No 3 has pulled out of forthcoming ATP tournaments in Asia and will have the procedure early next week.
It is not yet known whether he will be back in time for the Barclays ATP World Tour finals at London’s O2 Arena - for which he has already qualified - in early November, but the chances must be tilted against it.
The world No 3 has pulled out of forthcoming ATP tournaments in Asia and will have the procedure early next week.
It is not yet known whether he will be back in time for the Barclays ATP World Tour finals at London’s O2 Arena - for which he has already qualified - in early November, but the chances must be tilted against it.
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| On form: Murray returns a shot on his way to beating Dodig 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 |
THE £2M SURGERY? TOURNAMENTS INJURED MURRAY COULD MISS
September 23: Thailand Open, Bangkok
Winners’ prize money: £63,700
Ranking points: 250
September 30: Japan Open, Tokyo
Prize money: £194,100
Points: 500
October 6: Shanghai Masters, China
Prize money: £454,000
Points: 1,000
October 28: Paris Masters, France
Prize money: £439,800
Points: 1,000
November 4: ATP World Tour Finals, London
Prize money: £1,097,100
Points: 1,500
Total prize money: £2,248,700
Total ranking points: 4,250
A statement from Murray’s management on Thursday said that he definitely plans to be ready to attend his annual ‘boot camp’ in Miami that follows it but that his participation in the year-end event is unsure.
Murray has had a certain amount of intermittent pain around his lower spine for the last 18 months.
‘Next week Andy is set to undergo minor back surgery in an effort to clear up a longstanding back problem,’ the statement read. He will definitely miss tournaments in Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai.
‘The issue flared up during the Italian Open this year when Andy was forced to retire and he sought advice from a range of specialists. After recently playing on hard courts and clay, Andy once again sought medical advice about solving the issue once and for all. The aim is to be fully fit for the new season.’
Murray has complained of general discomfort in his lower back since early last year and withdrew from the French Open prior to his triumph at Wimbledon in early July.
At the US Open he was accompanied by specialist physio Mark Bender but managed to make it through to the quarter-final. On Sunday, he completed three days of play on clay by beating Croatia’s world No 35 Ivan Dodig for the loss of just 10 games.
In the process of leading Great Britain back into the Davis Cup world group, sources close to the Wimbledon champion said that the experience in Croatia had further focussed his mind on resolving what is believed to be a disc-related problem, although he has never specified its exact nature.
The insistence is that after the procedure he will be fully fit to mount a campaign for the Australian Open in January and then take his place in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team against the USA in early February.
There are no good times in a crowded tennis calendar in which to undergo this type of operation, but if there is an appropriate gap it is probably after the US Open.
Whether he will be back for the indoor Paris Masters and year-end jamboree must be rated very doubtful.
One silver lining for the organisers is that his absence would almost certainly guarantee the presence of Roger Federer who currently stands in seventh place for the eight-man field.
On a wider scale it will severely hinder any hopes of Murray challenging for the world No1 spot in the next nine months due to the ranking points he is sure to miss out on.
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