Andy Murray is back playing tennis.
The three-time Grand Slam champion on Monday shared a short video of his first hit since undergoing hip surfacing surgery in January, as he looked to step up his rehabilitation from a second operation in 12 months. He captioned the video “It’s a start”, as he hit balls against a wall on an outdoor court.
Murray has said that he is unlikely to play singles at Wimbledon this summer, but the former world No. 1 has indicated that doubles could be an option. However Murray, 31, has also stressed that he will not rush his recovery in order to play the July Grand Slam and would rather wait until he feels fully fit before returning to competitive action.
Murray’s last match before surgery was a five-set defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the Australian Open in January. The former world No. 1 had said a few days prior to the match that he planned to retire from tennis later this year, citing the pain in his right hip following an 18-month battle with the injury. However, he instead opted to undergo further surgery.
The Scot gave an update on his fitness in March where he told reporters at Queen’s Club that he was pain-free following the surgery and confirmed his intention to return to tennis.
“I’m a lot happier now than I was certainly in the last 12 months since I had the [original hip] operation [in January 2018]”, Murray said.
“I have no pain in my hip anymore. I was in a lot of pain for a long time. The rehab is slow but it’s going pretty well. I just need to wait and see how it’s going to progress but if it’s possible I’d certainly love to compete again.”