Since injuring his hip at the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2017, it has been a long road back for Andy Murray but will the struggle be worth it in 2019?
There have been multiple setbacks for the Brit having had operations, scheduling problems as well as trying to figure himself out. It has been a real test of character as it has been now 16 months since Murray suffered the hip injury and started his long break.
The former world number one played his first match back at Queens Club this year where he lost to Nick Kyrgios in the first round although being competitive was a success in itself. A first win back at Eastbourne was a pleasing step to a comeback before announcing his withdrawal from Wimbledon as five sets was too much at this stage.
A first real sign of progress was in Washington where he won a couple of late night matches to prove to himself that he never his lost his passion and ability. This ultimately lead to emotional scenes as a breakthrough had been reached.
His first grand slam tournament since his comeback was at the US Open as he made the third round before losing to Fernando Verdasco in four sets. It was good to see Murray competing at a high level again before ending his season prematurely in Asia.
So these tears, emotions and operations, are they worth it? Can Andy Murray really return to the top of the men’s game? Well if Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are case studies then Murray’s chances are very good. Even though hip injuries are never easy, Murray’s champion’s mentality could see him rise to the top of the ATP cake once again.
One person who certainly believes in a Murray comeback is former British tennis player Greg Rusedski, who believes that Murray will return to the top once again, “For Andy to be successful, he needs to be able to play week after week, build momentum once again and if he can do that in 2019, maybe he can be a threat at the top of the game once again,” Rusedski told Tennis365.com
“You look at a player like Stan Wawrinka coming back after knee surgery this year and he has had some big wins, but the consistency has not been there and that’s because he cannot play at the level he wants to week-in, week-out.”
It will be tough for Murray to achieve this with the next generation getting better with each tournament and Novak Djokovic looking as good as he did in 2016. But if there is one guy who has a habit of proving the doubters wrong it is Andy Murray and I’m sure the whole tennis community will want the Brit to return to his absolute best.
Andy Murray will start his 2019 season at the Brisbane International which starts on the 31st of December.
