Aussie Open Could Be End Of The Road For Murray

Andy Murray (40/1 Australian Open outright) has revealed the Australian Open could be his last tournament as he will soon be forced to retire due to his ongoing hip problem.

The Scot, who has two Wimbledon and one US Open title to his name, has been struggling to recover from hip surgery and has previously admitted playing through the pain.

However, in a moving press conference on Friday, the former world number one broke down in tears as he explained he might have to call time on his career after the upcoming Grand Slam in Melbourne.

Murray claimed he would like to retire at Wimbledon but with the current pain levels in his hip, the 31-year-old conceded that the 2019 Aussie Open could be the end of the road.

“The pain is too much really,” he said. “I need to have an end point because I’m playing with no idea of when the pain will stop.

“I’d like to play until Wimbledon – that’s where I’d like to stop playing – but I’m not certain I’m able to do that.

“I have the option of another operation which a little bit more severe – and involves having my hip resurfaced – which would allow me to have a better quality of life and be free of pain.

“That’s something I’m seriously considering now. Some athletes have had it and gone back to competing but there’s no guarantee of that.

“If I had it, it would be to have a better quality of life.”

Murray faces Spanish 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut when the tournament in Melbourne gets underway on January 14 (Agut 1/5, Murray 10/3 – Match Betting).