Andy Murray Underwent Successful Hip Surgery; Targets Grass-Court Season Return

Andy Murray underwent successful surgery on a long-term hip injury on Monday and hopes to be back in action in time for Wimbledon.

Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times relayed the news:

Murray, who has not featured in a competitive match since Wimbledon last year, recently put a statement on Instagram to explain his struggles with injury as he pulled out of the Australian Open:

Though Murray discussed in his Instagram post his preference not to undergo surgery to resolve the issue, the tennis star is feeling more optimistic having done so, per the Daily Mail's Mike Dickson:

According to Dickson, he said:

"My plan is to be back playing around the grasscourt season—potentially before then, but I'm certainly not going to rush anything. I've been quoted times for how long it's taken for players to get back from the surgery I've had, and I've been given up to 14 weeks. Most likely that will be around the grasscourt season, maybe slightly before."

The 30-year-old added he did not want to set a date as his target for returning, as "I want to come back when I'm fit and ready to play, not to get into a situation like in Brisbane or New York (last year's U.S. Open), where I'm unsure when I turn up at a tournament how fit I am."

The surgery was conducted by hip specialist John O'Donnell in Melbourne, Australia, where Murray remained despite ruling himself out of action for the Open and the preceding tournament in Brisbane. The Scot will stay in Australia for another week before he's able to fly home.

Murray confirmed O'Donnell was pleased with the operation: "I'm very optimistic because, having spoken to the surgeon after he did the surgery, he was very happy about how it went."

The former world No. 1 added upon his return he will "be playing a reduced schedule, and then focusing more on trying to win major events and big tournaments rather than trying to achieve certain ranking goals," and "if I can get myself to 95 per cent of my best I believe that's enough to compete at the highest level."

Murray, who revealed he also underwent minor groin surgery on December 18, could be able to hit again in two months' time.

The three-time Grand Slam champion may well look to peer Rafael Nadal for inspiration. The Spaniard successfully overcame a lengthy struggle with illness and injury to win two majors in 2017 and become world No. 1.