Andy Murray’s hopes of appearing at a final Wimbledon could be boosted by a return to the sport as a doubles player with brother Jamie, according to reports.
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BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller has suggested the Murray brothers – who have played together for years, most memorably when Great Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years against Belgium in 2015 – could realise a lifetime dream by teaming up at the Grand Slam on grass in June.
Three-times Grand Slam singles winner Murray is recovering from a hip resurfacing surgery on Monday that he hopes will improve his quality of life while perhaps enabling him to consider a return to competitive action.
“Murray said very clearly in Melbourne you do not have this operation & return to top flight singles,” said Fuller. “I’m sure there’s a small part of him that hasn’t abandoned all hope, but it’s first and foremost about boosting quality of life. And maybe squeezing in a Wimbledon farewell.”
The comments echo the thoughts of mum Judy, who has previously suggested the pair would like to play Wimbledon before they wind up their respective careers.
“While they are still happy and healthy I think they are quite happy doing their own thing and going their own way,” said Judy.
“But I’m pretty sure you’ll see them playing doubles at Wimbledon together before they end their career.”
American doubles legend Bob Bryan returned from similar surgery aged 40 five months ago to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals with brother Mike last week, bolstering Murray’s hopes that he may be able to salvage his golden 14-year career.
OUR VIEW
“I personally don’t underestimate Andy Murray. You look at the great workers in history: (Ivan) Lendl, (Jim) Courier, (Andy) Roddick. This guy is maybe even a step up from those guys. I think he could do it.“
Bob Bryan is certainly of the mind that Murray has the mindset to achieve a comeback, but whether the metal in his hip will hold firm is another matter. You are only as strong as the body will allow you to be, and Murray’s future in tennis is shrouded in severe doubt. Yet while there is life, there is hope.
If Murray can drag himself back on a practice court like Bryan managed, you would not discount him from appearing at Wimbledon with his brother. It would allow him to tick off one of his last remaining goals in the sport to play competitively alongside his Jamie, but would also allow Murray to gauge his own condition moving forward. Perhaps the incessant nature of singles tennis would be too much, but there is much to be gleaned from playing doubles, a specialism in which he already excels.
Martina Hingis retired as a serial singles champion in 2007 after being blighted by injury, but returned to the sport in 2013 as a doubles player, winning four women’s doubles titles and seven mixed doubles titles between 2013 and 2017. It provided Hingis with a long, silver-tinged finale to the sport. Perhaps it is route Murrray could follow if he is so motivated, and the hip holds up.
He would not be short of fans or goodwill if he is able to continue playing in some form after such an arduous battle.
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