Andy Murray Aims For Early Comeback
Wimbledon
February 25, 2020
Andy Murray says he is desperate to play in the Grand Slams again.
And of course Murray still hopes to be able to play Wimbledon.
In the mean time he may even be fit enough to play Miami. First he has to come through his latest period of intensive training.
The long-term issue is what the best timing would be if he needs another operation.
He may have to remove some bone apparently still growing into some soft tissue around his hip.
Or alternatively it may just settle down and allow him to play through the spring and summer.
Murray explained: ‘I want to play the Slams again. That’s what excites me and interests me.
‘That is the thing I have missed most over these last few years.
‘I do want to keep playing. It’s just whether I’m able to or not is the question.’
The organisers of the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen’s Club said only yesterday that they are hopeful Murray will play there in a few months’ time.
They indicated that Murray looked set to join Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Feliciano Lopez at Queen’s.
Tournament Director Stephen Farrow said: ‘We know Andy is still working his way back to fitness, but we also know that he wants to play, so fingers crossed that he will be able to.’
It was natural to conclude from Farrow’s assessment that Murray was targeting the grass-court season for his comeback.
And make no mistake, Andy would still dearly love to play Wimbledon 2020.
But the likeable Scot has moved to clarify a few complex medical issues as best he can.
The good news is that we could see the Murray playing sooner than we thought.
He is about to start putting more pressure on the hip and general pelvic area and explained: ‘What I need to do now is build up in the next couple of weeks to really test it. I will really test the hip out. Hopefully it responds fine.’
Short-term fitness could then lead to a trickier longer-term judgement call on any unwanted bone growth.
Andy went on: ‘The issue is if you try to remove that too early, while it is still active in the process of growing, it just grows straight back.
‘If I have to have that removed because that is what is causing the problem, then that is a pain.
‘It’s not that long an operation in terms of rehab and stuff. It’s just that if I wasn’t able to have it until May or whatever, with six to eight weeks rehab, then that would mean missing that period.’
If Murray is able to play the French Open then the temptation to play on through Wimbledon too would become strong, though.
He has to see how the hip feels, play where he can and when he feels able, monitor any further bone growth and see how easily he can manage any further discomfort.
Andy added: ‘I would play on clay for sure. If physically this feels fine and this responds well to the training again, there is no reason for me not to. In many ways the clay should actually be better for a metal joint because it is softer impact-wise.
‘I do want to keep playing…It’s just whether that settles down with time and the body gets used to it, and whether you are able to manage it when playing.’
We wish Andy Murray well with his comeback and sincerely hope he can join Roger Federer on the grass this summer.